Texas police said they found a “baked device” at a Tesla dealer in Austin on Monday morning after the Trump administration pledged to crack down on vandalism and protests against Elon Musk’s automobile company.
“On Monday, March 24, 2025, around 8am, Austin Police Station (APD) officers responded to a dangerous call discovered/abandoned at a Tesla dealer at 12845 N US 183 HWY SVRD NB.”
“When officers arrived at the scene, they found the suspicious device and called the APD bomb squad to investigate. The device deemed to be agitation was taken to police custody without incident. This is an open and ongoing investigation and there is no further information at this time.”
Tesla dealers and charging stations have been destroyed in recent weeks as anger spills over the unprecedented impact on the US government has spread. Throwing a fiery beer bottle at the Tesla charging station in South Carolina in early March, burning both the charging station and himself, and a total of 20 Tesla showrooms and charging stations have seen intentional fires since Donald Trump took office.
Thousands of people are taking part in peaceful protests outside Tesla dealers across the country. At a demonstration outside a Tesla dealer in West Palm Beach, Florida near Trump’s Mar Arago Resort, the 44-year-old was accused of intentionally trying to drive the Nissan SUV into a group of protesters. He later said he got out of his car and told the worker at the dealership in question that he left, saying “standing with Tesla.”
According to Florida’s news station WPLG, Andrew Dutil is facing a count of worse assaults with weapons, local authorities said in the report. He was reportedly in custody unconfined as of Monday afternoon. He had a preliminary hearing scheduled for April 21st.
A showroom where Texas State Police said Monday that the agitator was found to be the subject of the demonstration two days ago, Kxan reported. There is no suggestion that the protest is linked to the device.
Trump has boldly defended Musk, and he donated nearly $300 million to the campaign, suggesting last week that people who destroy Tesla could be deported to sentence them to prison in El Salvador.
On Thursday, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced charges against three people accused of “the violent destruction of Tesla’s property,” saying, “The days of committing crimes without consequences are over. This is a warning. Joining this wave of domestic terrorism on Tesla’s property, the Department of Justice will oversee you.”
