Vancouver police say a 27-year-old man was arrested and is facing mischief charges after a Tesla dealership was allegedly vandalized overnight.
Officers were called to the Kitsilano Tesla dealership, near Burrard Street and West 4th Avenue, around 1:30 a.m. on Friday (March 21) after reports that a man had "spray-painted obscenities on the front window of the business," according to a news release. Police said a witness called 911 and officers were able to find the suspect nearby.
The suspect was released and will appear in court on May 15.
Vancouver police say that since Jan. 1, 2025 there have been "eight confirmed acts of mischief in Vancouver that police believe are politically motivated and in opposition to Tesla owner Elon Musk's political affiliation with the U.S. government." Police added all files remain open and are actively being investigated.
The alleged vandalism in Vancouver follows other incidents in parts of Canada and the U.S. where people set Teslas and their chargers on fire. In B.C., Tesla superchargers at a Nanaimo mall are out of service after they were allegedly tampered with, causing two of the units to catch fire.
The U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi called the acts "nothing short of domestic terrorism." In a March 18 press release, Bondi said the U.S. Department of Justice has already charged some people and there are plans to continue investigations.
The alleged crimes come as tensions have heightened around Tesla products and Tesla CEO Musk, who has become a senior advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump amid an ongoing trade war between the U.S. and Canada.
Tesla was also recently removed from the Vancouver International Auto Show over safety concerns. The organizers gave Tesla "multiple opportunities to voluntarily withdraw" from the show, but declined to each time. The organizers then made the decision to remove the company from the event's lineup.
