Alleged Tesla Terrorist Arrested by Las Vegas Police

Posted on: March 27, 2025, 11:53h. 

Last updated on: March 27, 2025, 06:27h.

Corey Levitan Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas, Restaurants, Las Vegas Myths.
  • An arrest has been made in the firebombing attack against several Teslas in Las Vegas last week
  • Paul Kim, 36, was taken into custody on multiple charges

Las Vegas police have arrested a man who they claim destroyed at least five Tesla vehicles with incendiary devices and gunfire last week at a local service center for the electric cars.

Multiple Tesla vehicles were set ablaze by Molotov cocktails and riddled with bullets on March 18. (Image: LVMPD)

Arrest records show that Paul Hyon Kim, 36, was taken into custody Wednesday on suspicion of third-degree arson, property destruction, shooting a gun into a vehicle, and possession of an explosive or flammable device. In all there were 15 felony and misdemeanor counts. Kim remains in custody at the Clark County Detention Center.

At 2:44 a.m. March 18, Las Vegas Fire & Rescue received a report of a large fire at 6260 Badura Ave.

Surveillance video from the service center showed someone dressed in black spraying Tesla vehicles with bullets and igniting two of them with Molotov cocktails — one of which was recovered unignited from a car. The person was also seen spray-painting the word “RESIST” across the service center’s front doors.

Police said they found the vehicle by canvassing video and license-plate readers from more than 700 locations across Las Vegas. Kim later reported the car stolen to his insurance company. DNA they swabbed from Kim during his arrest matched DNA found at the scene of the crime.

The attacks are believed to be a part of a worldwide protest against Elon Musk, Tesla’s founder, who as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has spearheaded large cuts and layoffs across the US federal government in recent weeks.

During a news conference held at police headquarters later that morning, police said the damage bore “some of the hallmarks” of terrorism.

“This was a targeted attack against a Tesla facility,” Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said. “We do believe that it is isolated at this time.”

Later, Attorney General Pam Bondi released a statement saying that “the swarm of violent attacks on Tesla property is nothing short of domestic terrorism.”

The White House also weighed in on the attacks, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt calling them “despicable.”