GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A woman is facing a felony charge after police say she fired a BB gun from a moving car, shattering windows at a Tesla dealership near Duluth and causing an estimated $20,000 in damage.
Gwinnett County police responded to the dealership on Satellite Blvd., where two large front windows were found broken. Surveillance video, including video from Tesla vehicles, showed the glass being struck by a BB around 1 a.m. from roughly 15 feet away. No injuries were reported.
Investigators told Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson that they used video from the dealership, Tesla’s onboard cameras and more to identify 35-year-old Alexa Beckstead as the suspect.
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Officers later served a search warrant and arrested her at her home, police said.
Beckstead was charged with second-degree criminal damage to property and booked into the Gwinnett County Jail. She has since bonded out.
“They have cameras in the actual building. The vehicles have cameras themselves. Plus, we have cameras all around the county,” said Cpl. Juan Madiedo with Gwinnett County police.
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This incident comes as the FBI launched a task force with the ATF in March aimed at cracking down on what it described as “violent Tesla attacks.”
An FBI Atlanta spokesperson said the agency does not plan to pursue federal charges in this case.
While police have not released a motive, some Tesla owners say they’ve noticed growing hostility tied to political views about the brand.
“People should be allowed to express their own personal beliefs and ideology,” said Terry Travis, a Tesla owner and e-mobility consultant, “as long as they don’t put anybody in harm’s way.”
Travis, who also owns EVNoire, said some Tesla drivers in his community have reported being followed or harassed on the road.
“Nobody should be put in that situation and feel unsafe at any given point in time,” he said.
Last month, a separate incident near a Costco near Duluth led to an arrest after a Tesla vehicle was keyed, police said.
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