The Watertown Police Division is investigating an incident that unfolded at a protest at a Tesla Service Middle involving two people being injured when a driver of a “black pickup truck” struck them.
In accordance with a press launch, police stated “the side mirror” of the shifting automobile struck the 2 people throughout the protest.
“Officers who were already on the scene quickly assisted the injured parties and identified the suspect,” police stated. “Fortunately, no serious injuries were reported, and both victims refused medical treatment at the scene.”
Police didn’t present additional info.
Roughly 100 individuals gathered on the Tesla Service Middle within the Boston suburb to rally towards firm CEO Elon Musk as protests proceed to construct throughout the Bay State and nation.
Nationwide activism
Saturday’s protest in Watertown fell in step with a so-called “Tesla Takedown’s Global Day of Action,” with rallies occurring at at the very least 9 different areas in Massachusetts and a whole bunch extra throughout the nation and world, based on an occasion map.
“Elon Musk is destroying our democracy, and he’s using the fortune he built at Tesla to do it,” the protesting group, Tesla Takedown, states on an internet site devoted to its efforts. “We are taking action at Tesla to stop Musk’s illegal coup.”
Protesters are calling for individuals who personal Teslas to promote their electrical autos and to “join the picket lines,” as they are saying that can go a great distance in “tanking Tesla’s stock price to stop Musk.”
“The stakes couldn’t be higher,” the group states. “No one is coming to save us. Not politicians, not the media, not the courts.”
“Tesla Takedown is a peaceful protest movement,” it provides. “We oppose violence, vandalism and destruction of property. This protest is a lawful exercise of our First Amendment right to peaceful assembly.
Other Bay State-based protests occurred Saturday at the Prudential Center in Boston and locations in Natick, Dedham, Norwell, Auburn, Peabody, Springfield and Hadley.
Incidents and warnings
The Boston Police Department issued a community alert Saturday morning, “seeking the public’s assistance” in figuring out a person “who is believed to be connected to multiple incidents of vandalism and harassment” focusing on Tesla autos within the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood.
Authorities didn’t disclose the variety of incidents or their nature, however they added that they reportedly unfolded “in the area of Hemenway Street and Gainsborough Street.”
“The Boston Police Department is actively reviewing the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident,” the alert states.
The protests, together with elevated vandalism and violence, observe President Trump’s inauguration and the elevation of Musk to supervise the Division of Authorities Effectivity, which has introduced a sequence of cuts at a slew of federal businesses
The parade of destruction, together with some Tesla autos and dealerships being torched, throughout the nation prompted an alert from the FBI final weekend.
Residents throughout the nation have been suggested to “exercise vigilance” and to remain on the “look out for suspicious activity” when in proximity to a Tesla dealership or “Tesla-related entities.”
Potential “threat activity” consists of violent on-line threats made towards “specific Tesla properties,” felony actors inquiring about or making an attempt to look at safety at Tesla properties or taking video or pictures there, any “unusual surveillance or interest in Tesla-related entities,” and makes an attempt to realize unauthorized entry to Tesla amenities, the FBI stated.
“These incidents have involved arson, gunfire, and vandalism, including graffiti expressing grievances against those the perpetrators perceive to be racists, fascists, or political opponents,” the bureau wrote.
Massachusetts is amongst at the very least 9 states which have seen incidents focusing on Tesla EVs, based on the bureau.
A Roslindale man, Harrison Grant Randall, 39, was arrested earlier this month and charged with tagging Teslas in Brookline with anti-Elon Musk stickers.
Randall’s arrest got here after Brookline Police posted a video of the suspect accused of tagging Teslas with Musk stickers. The person using his bike within the Brookline Village space on the time claimed he had the proper to deface others’ property based mostly on “free speech.”
“It’s my free speech,” the person who had a Palestinian flag on his bike advised one of many victims who confronted him.
Different incidents in Massachusetts embrace a Tesla charging station in Littleton allegedly set ablaze earlier this month. In February, a Tesla charging lot in Tyngsboro was tagged with chalk swastikas.
A Lowell man additionally this month advised metropolis police that he was shot at whereas driving his Tesla.
“It’s a huge problem,” the person advised NBC10.
