Las Vegas authorities thanked Tesla CEO Elon Musk for aiding the probe of a Cybertruck that exploded outside Trump International Hotel on New Year’s Day.
During a press conference Wednesday, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Sheriff Kevin McMahill thanked the billionaire for providing more evidence.
“He gave us quite a bit of additional information in regards to how the vehicle was locked after it exploded due to the nature of the force from the explosion as well as being able to capture all of the video from Tesla charging stations across the country,” the sheriff said.
Police also determined that the explosion came from the Cybertruck’s trunk, which contained gasoline and large mortar fireworks. Sheriff McMahill said Cybertruck’s structure helped save lives.
“The fact that this was a Cybertruck really limited the damage that occurred inside of the valet because it had most of the blast go up through the truck and out,” he said. “In fact, if you look at that video, you’ll see that the front glass doors of the Trump hotel were not even broken by the blast, which they were parked directly in front of.”
Mr. Musk echoed the conclusions of the Las Vegas police later Wednesday, posting on X that “the evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack.”
The blast went off at around 8:40 a.m. New Year’s Day, leaving one dead and seven injured. Law enforcement officials have identified the driver of the Cybertruck as Army veteran Matthew Livelsberger, the one confirmed dead. Federal law enforcement has not determined if the explosion was an act of terrorism.
The explosion coincided with the truck attack on the same day in New Orleans that left 15 dead. The driver, Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, died after a police shootout shortly after the massacre.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.