A 25-year-old Irvine man has been arrested on suspicion of vandalizing 13 Teslas, which included spray-painting the words “Nazi” and “fascist” on the vehicles, police said Wednesday.
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Max Sebastian Solomon was arrested Tuesday, July 28, and booked into the Orange County Jail on suspicion of felony vandalism, according to Irvine police.
During the investigation, an officer suspected the vandalism was connected to an earlier altercation in which a man spat on a Tesla stopped at an intersection, police spokesman Kyle Oldoerp said.
Investigators compared surveillance footage from that earlier incident and the vandalism and determined the man involved in the altercation appeared to match the person seen spray-painting the Teslas, Oldoerp said.
Detectives then traced a takeout bag the man was carrying during the earlier incident to the restaurant where the order was placed and obtained the customer’s name. Police then identified Solomon as the suspect and arrested him.
The Teslas were spray-painted in red with the words “Nazi” and “fascist,” Oldoerp said.
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Teslas have been targeted in vandalism incidents and demonstrations in recent years amid backlash against the company’s CEO, Elon Musk, including criticism of his political views and work with President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency. Police have not said whether the Irvine vandalism was connected to those issues.
The first vandalism incident disclosed by police occurred around 10:30 p.m. on July 17, when four Teslas were spray-painted inside a parking garage near Michelson Drive and Carlson Avenue.
Police released video of one of the incidents Monday, seeking the public’s help identifying the man. Three other Teslas were vandalized in the same garage, police said at the time.
The footage, provided to police by one of the vehicle owners, appeared to have been captured by the Tesla’s onboard cameras. It showed a man spray-painting the vehicle while holding his shirt over his face.
Police issued another public appeal Friday, July 24, after nine additional Teslas were vandalized the previous night in a parking structure. Investigators said they believed the same man was responsible for vandalizing all 13 Teslas.
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