A man from Idaho was arrested after pretending to hit a counterproter with his car during a demonstration at a Tesla dealership on Saturday, according to the Meridian police service.
Christopher Talbot, 70, would have made a 49 -year -old victim “an obscene gesture” and hit him with his car, according to the police.
The incident occurred during a demonstration with a Tesla dealer on Franklin Road in western Idaho, where around 30 demonstrators and 200 counter-demonstrators were gathered.
Hundreds of demonstrators have also met with Tesla dealerships in recent weeks, especially in New York, Maryland and Arizona this weekend.
“Reports indicate that the victim had taken a truck with pro-Trump flags and had just parked and left his vehicle when Talbot hit him with his car,” police said in a press release. “The victim went to a local hospital, where he was treated and released (with) non -fatal injuries.”
Police did not identify the victim, who, she said, was a counterproteter.
Talbot was arrested without incident and accused of aggravated battery on Saturday. He was sentenced to Ada County prison. It is not clear at the moment if Talbot has a lawyer.
“The Meridian police service reminds people to respect the right of everyone to protest and express their rights to the 1st amendment without resorting to violence,” said police.
The incident is still the subject of an investigation and the police ask anyone with information to contact.
Tesla cars, dealers and charging stations across the country have been targeted in dozens of vandalism in recent weeks. The attacks occurred after Elon Musk joined the second tumultuous administration of President Donald Trump and began to carry out a radical effort to reduce the major expanses of the federal government.
In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, Musk blamed “the extreme left” for vandalism that occurs in dealers across the country, calling them “real bad guys here”.
“And the president clearly said that we are going to continue them,” said Musk in the interview. “Those who provide money, those who push lies and propaganda, we pursue them.”
The demonstrators told NBC News that they demonstrated against the federal cuts of Musk.
“We have a crazy person who blows through our democratic processes without any qualification, he was not elected, he has no idea what he does,” JF Garcia, a protester in the Manhattan meat district on Saturday. “I think his sentence moves quickly and breaks things?” This is not how you cause a positive change. ”
