Police in B.C.’s capital city have released video of someone allegedly keying a Tesla Cybertruck on Monday.
The incident occurred around 5 p.m. while the distinctive vehicle linked to billionaire Elon Musk was parked downtown on Humboldt Street, according to the Victoria Police Department.
The alleged vandalism was recorded by the vehicle’s security camera and police have released it in hopes of identifying the suspect. A person can be seen approaching the Cybertruck holding something in their hand – presumably a key – and then dragging the object over the vehicle’s side.
VicPD said this is the second report of mischief involving a Tesla this year.
“In a separate incident on Feb. 13, obscenities were written on the side of a Cybertruck using dust,” a statement from authorities said. “The act is believed to be motivated by opposition to Tesla owner Elon Musk and his connections to the U.S. government.”
The department said these two incidents don’t constitute a “notable increase” in Teslas being targeted.
Last week, police in Vancouver said they were investigating 28 incidents that “appear politically motivated” since Jan. 20, when President Donald Trump was inaugurated.
Amid a trade war, Musk has been a cheerleader for Trump’s threats to annex Canada, writing on his social media platform X that Canada is “not a real country.”
A petition to revoke Musk’s Canadian citizenship on the grounds that he has “engaged in activities that go against the national interest of Canada” and “attacked Canadian sovereignty” has amassed hundreds of thousands of signatures.
British Columbia recently removed Tesla products from a list of those eligible for provincial subsidies. The company was also removed from the annual Vancouver Auto Show.
