» Trashing Teslas when cameras recording not the smartest idea

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Those vandalizing Tesla vehicles may not realize that these cars are actually smarter than they are.

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What these criminals have also not fully considered when they are defacing Tesla’s in Canada is that they are not just committing a crime but a war crime!

The parking lots of these sneaky ambushes are the front lines of the Canada-U.S. trade war. And while the low IQ zealots who are smashing these cars thinking they are hurting American billionaires, they are also hurting local businesspeople who employ people and put money in the economy.

Make no mistake, the police are not treating these acts of hate as routine.

“If you think committing a mischief is just harmless fun, think again,” warned Hamilton Police Chief Frank Bergen.

There is nothing fun or funny about disfiguring and destroying 80 Tesla electric vehicles as somebody did in the Steeltown this week. They may think they are responding to the tariff war with the United States but what they haven’t fully considered is not only have they created an international incident, but they are also messing with the richest person in the world and the most powerful person the world.

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President Donald J. Trump’s administration has hinted America considers attacks on Tesla’s to be domestic terrorism. His adviser and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said there is nothing appropriate about harming a “peaceful” company that does nothing but bring good to the world. The president and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) adviser this week did a photo op at the White House with the 47th president ordering a new Tesla in support of Musk.

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Whoever is behind these attacks needs to know that, thanks to technology, data collection and cameras on the vehicles and nearby, police have some compelling video and forensic evidence to work with.

Tesla has a Sentry Mode that allows cameras, triggered by sensors, to record even when parked.

“Every action leaves a trace and sooner or later, we’ll find out who’s behind it,” said Chief Bergen.

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For example, the Lime Ridge Mall on Hamilton Mountain has plenty of cameras.

“On Wednesday, March 19, 2025, Hamilton Police were called to the Tesla dealership located at 999 Upper Wentworth Street for a report of damage to some of the vehicles in the store’s inventory,” said a Hamilton Police news release.

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“Officers responded and discovered upwards of 80 Tesla vehicles which were parked outdoors had been damaged, including but not limited to deep scratches and punctured tires.”

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The massive gouges and slashed tires of the fleet on the lot of one of Canada’s largest Tesla dealers are not pranks but acts of terrorism – just like what happened in the United States where a vandal is facing 20 years for a firebomb incident. In Canada there have been Tesla attacks in Montreal, London, Ont., and Vancouver, where police made an arrest Friday of a 27-year-old man. There will be more arrests to come.

In Toronto, police were looking into a video posted by major U.S.-based X accounts that went viral and showed a man keying a Tesla and then cuts away to a man heading into an apartment with a woman.

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I spent a lot of time researching it on Friday with Deputy Chief Rob Johnson and his team, and we eventually found the original video which was from more than a year ago and not related to the current Musk backlash. The first clue for Johnson was no complaint could be found. I want to thank the deputy and all of the TPS staff who helped me shake the tree on what turned out to be a red herring.

Regardless of the time frame, any information on any crime like this can be reported to police or Crime Stoppers. We also include this information because we feel it’s important that Musk and Trump know this video is not connected to the current climate and that Canada is appalled at the war on Tesla and takes the matter seriously.

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Sadly, what happened in Hamilton is real. But whoever did it is going to have a hard time getting away with it.

“Police are currently reviewing CCTV camera footage and are asking the public for their assistance in solving this crime,” said Hamilton Police. “If you know something about this incident that you believe will assist investigators, please contact the on-duty Division 3 Staff Sergeant at 905-546-3886. Additionally, to provide information anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit your anonymous tips online at crimestoppershamilton.com.”

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Chief Bergen’s detectives were working on that case Friday night.

“Play stupid games, win serious consequences,” said Bergen.

Going after the business of the most powerful people in the world is as stupid as trying to outsmart Tesla’s that have higher intelligence than the people harming them.

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