A Brookline choose has dropped the case in opposition to a Boston man who was accused of tagging Tesla autos with Elon Musk stickers.
Harrison Grant Randall, 39, was charged earlier this yr with six counts of defacing property after Brookline Police posted a video of a suspect driving his bike — and the general public helped ID him.
Randall within the video allegedly claimed he had the correct to place stickers on others’ property primarily based on “free speech.”
“It’s my free speech,” the person who had a Palestinian flag on his bike informed one of many individuals who confronted him.
Randall ended up being arrested amid a flurry of arrests throughout the state and nation for folks accused of vandalizing Teslas and dealerships.
Then quick ahead to this week when the costs in opposition to him have been dismissed after his lawyer’s movement to dismiss.
“The Vandalism statute… requires the Commonwealth to prove that the Defendant acted willfully with malice,” Randall’s protection legal professional wrote within the movement to dismiss.
“The police reports do not show any evidence that the Defendant was acting with malice in placing the Musk stickers on Tesla vehicles,” his lawyer added. “There was no evidence presented in the criminal applications and the police reports that the Defendant knew any of the other parties. No evidence was presented that Randall acted out of cruelty, hostility or revenge.”
Randall didn’t know any of the Tesla house owners concerned within the case, his legal professional reiterated.
“Without a showing that the Defendant acted with malice, the police did not make an adequate showing in support of the issuance of these complaints,” his lawyer added.
Decide Debra Shopteese allowed the movement to dismiss, dropping the costs.
Brookline.Information first reported on the choose dismissing the case.
The Norfolk DA’s workplace “opposed the defense motion and the judge dismissed the charges over our objection,” an workplace spokesperson mentioned in an announcement.
This incident earlier this yr got here amid anti-DOGE protests at Musk’s Tesla shops, and after studies of vandalism in opposition to Tesla dealerships.
In Colorado, federal prosecutors charged a girl in reference to a string of vandalism in opposition to a Tesla dealership, which included Molotov cocktails being thrown at autos and the phrases “Nazi cars” spray painted on the constructing — together with a message that appeared directed at Musk.
President Trump and cost-cutting chief Musk’s Division of Authorities Effectivity, or DOGE, slashed the scale of the federal authorities by means of large-scale layoffs, contract cancellations and different strikes.
Demonstrators have gathered exterior Tesla shops to protest the automaker’s billionaire CEO.
Herald wire companies have been used on this report.
