Brade
A college student was arrested by federal authorities in Boston after allegedly launching a Molotov cocktail at a Tesla dealership in Missouri during spring break. OWEN MCINTIRE, 19, of Kansas City, was taken into custody and made an initial court appearance Friday in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts.
MCINTIRE, a Boston-based college student, faces charges of unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device and malicious damage by fire of property used in interstate commerce, according to court documents filed in the Western District of Missouri.
The incident occurred on March 17 when a Kansas City Missouri Police Department (KCMOPD) officer near the Tesla Center observed smoke rising from a Cybertruck in the parking lot. The officer discovered an intact Molotov cocktail near the burning vehicle just before midnight, as stated in an affidavit.
Kansas City Fire Department crews responded swiftly to extinguish the blaze, which had spread from the Cybertruck to another vehicle in the lot. The damaged Cybertrucks were priced at $105,485 and $107,485, respectively. Additionally, two Tesla charging stations, each valued at approximately $550, were also damaged.
Agents and forensic experts from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) recovered and analyzed critical evidence, including the Molotov cocktails allegedly used in the attack. Authorities later identified video footage showing an individual believed to be MCINTIRE, wearing a large hat, lighting the devices and throwing them at the Cybertrucks before fleeing the scene. The hat, found near the dealership, yielded DNA evidence that matched MCINTIRE.
U.S. Attorney General PAMELA BONDI issued a stern warning: “Let me be extremely clear to anyone who still wants to firebomb a Tesla property: You will not evade us. You will be arrested. You will be prosecuted. You will spend decades behind bars. It is not worth it.”
FBI Director KASH PATEL emphasized that this arrest marked the second such incident targeting Tesla within the week. “These actions are dangerous, they are illegal, and we are going to arrest those responsible,” PATEL stated. “We will work with our partners at the Department of Justice to hold accountable anyone who commits such crimes.”
The investigation is being carried out by the FBI’s Kansas City and Boston field offices, the ATF, and the Kansas City Missouri Police Department.
[Sources: U.S. District Court Documents, FBI, ATF, KCMOPD]
