The chief of police of Bloomington, Minnesota referred to an individual who was caught keying a Tesla vehicle last month as a “victim,” and said the vandal will not face charges.
The vandalism took place in a Cub Foods parking lot, and caused $3,200 in damages to a car, according to reports.
As the incident was caught on tape, police were able to locate the culprit, allegedly a woman in her late 20s whose identity has not been publicized.
Bloomberg Police Chief Booker T. Hodges said Tuesday the vandal turned herself in and “the victim in this case just wanted their car fixed, and they just wanted the suspect to pay for that.”
While the Tesla owner may not have wanted to pursue criminal charges, it’s up to prosecutors in Minnesota to decide whether to file charges based on evidence gathered by law enforcement.
However, that was not the case here.
“Based on the totality of the circumstances here, and along with our core value of being compassionate, this is the best outcome for everybody involved in this case,” Hodges said.
The chief then appeared to excuse the vandal’s behavior by referring to her as a potential “victim” of “rhetoric.”
“Let me be clear here, uh, in Bloomington you’ve probably never heard me utter these words, but the suspect in this case may have been a victim, and I mean a victim in terms of the rhetoric that is being spewed out here by some of those in leadership,” he said.
Without naming names, Hodges continued: “We need our leaders to start leading and stop feeding this rhetoric. People should be able to drive whatever car they want without fear of going into a store and someone scratching their car or people yelling at them because of the car that … they choose to drive. It’s time for all of us, you know, just to start getting along and knock this stuff off, man. People should be able to be left alone.”
It wasn’t clear who Hodges had in mind but Minnesota Governor and former VP candidate Tim Walz has repeatedly demonized Tesla CEO Elon Musk in front of Democrat audiences, at one point saying he “gets a boost” when Tesla stock falls.
Hodges stressed that those who insist on targeting Tesla vehicles and their owners, “will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent that we’re able to.”
But in this particular case, he reiterated, the department’s “compassion” and the victim’s wishes made this the best outcome.
Not every Tesla owner has been as forgiving as the one in this case.
In Texas, a man whose Tesla vehicle was recently keyed, filed a civil lawsuit against the vandal, seeking $1 million in damages.