A man was arrested for allegedly vandalizing Tesla vehicles parked at a company lot in Peabody, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, police said.
The Tesla dealership's manager reported that a person had poured pain on vehicles parked outside, and officers were able to catch the man, identified as Gardy Pierre, at the nearby Northshore Mall, Peabody police said.
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WATCH HEREThe 28-year-old from Saugus faces 11 counts of defacing property and one count of disturbing the peace, police said. Pierre was due to face the charges in Peabody District Court Tuesday afternoon; it wasn't immediately clear if he had an attorney who could speak to the charges.
He was also wanted on a charge of trespassing and resisting arrest out of Cambridge District Court, according to police.
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SIGN UP The incident was reported about 9 a.m., and the manager told officers where the person who'd thrown the paint ran off, as well as describing him. That led to a foot chase and Pierre's arrest, police said.
Images from the scene showed Tesla vehicles with what appeared to be paint on them.
Tesla vandalism has been on the rise across the country in recent months, leading the FBI to launch a task force to investigate.
Anti-Tesla protests, critical of CEO Elon Musk's role in the U.S. government, have also been held across the country. Two people were injured by a vehicle at one such protest last month in Watertown.
