FREMONT — A Napa man was arrested final week after authorities declare he tried ramming two autos in and round a Tesla car parking zone, utilizing a Vary Rover loaded with a steel stress cooker, shell casings, laptops and a gasoline masks.
The 45-year-old man was charged Monday with two counts of assault with a lethal weapon, in addition to a single depend of felony evading an officer, courtroom filings present. He remained held on the Santa Rita Jail Monday afternoon.
Authorities say he went on a short-lived rampage a pair hours earlier than dawn Thursday that started practically a mile away from Tesla’s Fremont plant.
At about 3:15 a.m. that morning, a Tesla safety guard mentioned a person driving a Vary Rover made an “unusual hand gesture” earlier than attempting to rear-end him and his Tesla Mannequin X, in response to courtroom paperwork. The safety guard had been on his lunch break on the time, and he was driving on Fremont Boulevard close to Dixon Touchdown, on the alternative facet of Interstate 880 from the Tesla plant.
The person within the Vary Rover continued attempting to ram the safety guard’s automobile after they pulled into the close by Tesla plant’s car parking zone, courtroom information present. The Vary Rover driver then left and pulled onto close by Web page Avenue, the place authorities say the SUV repeatedly rammed a parked Kia Forte earlier than dashing off, in response to courtroom information.
A California Freeway Patrol officer additionally suspected the person drove the fallacious manner on I-880 round that very same time, whereas attempting to ram different motorists on the freeway, the information present.
The person was arrested a number of hours later in downtown Napa, about 10 miles from his house, courtroom information present. Investigators additionally discovered a drone and a number of cell telephones, gasoline cans and alcohol contained in the Vary Rover, police mentioned.
A motive for the ordeal remained unclear Monday. When questioned by investigators, the person mentioned a Tesla lower him off, and when he adopted it right into a car parking zone, one other car appeared to dam him in — resulting in a collision. He mentioned he couldn’t bear in mind a lot else in regards to the encounter, as a result of stress, in response to courtroom information.
