Advertisement 1

WARMINGTON: Trashing Teslas when their cameras are recording not the smartest idea

Tesla's have seven cameras on board recording everything which has Hamilton's Police Chief reminding the culprit that they will help cops 'find' you.

Get the latest from Joe Warmington straight to your inbox

Article content

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

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content

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!

Article content
Article content

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.

A tow truck hauls away a number of scratched Tesla vehicles in Hamilton on Thursday, March 20, 2025. Eighty Tesla vehicles were damaged at the Hamilton dealership, making it the largest car vandalism reported in Canada against the U.S. company.
A tow truck hauls away a number of scratched Tesla vehicles in Hamilton on Thursday, March 20, 2025. Eighty Tesla vehicles were damaged at the Hamilton dealership, making it the largest car vandalism reported in Canada against the U.S. company. Photo by Katherine KY Cheng /Getty Images

“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.

Advertisement 3
Story continues below
Article content

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.

Article content
Advertisement 4
Story continues below
Article content

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.

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

Loading...
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

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.

Advertisement 5
Story continues below
Article content

“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.”

Advertisement 6
Story continues below
Article content

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.

Advertisement 7
Story continues below
Article content

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.

Advertisement 8
Story continues below
Article content

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.”

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

Loading...
We apologize, but this video has failed to load.
Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

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.

Read More
  1. Vehicles sit at Tesla electric vehicle chargers in Springfield, Virginia, on March 15, 2022.
    Up to 80 Teslas damaged at Hamilton dealership
  2. A Tesla dealership is pictured in Langley, B.C..
    Police in Vancouver arrest man suspected of vandalizing Tesla dealership
Article content
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Page was generated in 0.39191293716431