Attorney General Pam Bondi has said the Department of Justice will seek a 20-year prison sentence for a man accused of throwing a firebomb at a Tesla dealership.
Bondi said Monday that Cooper Jo Frederick, who is accused of attacking a Tesla dealership in Loveland, Colorado, on March 7, would face federal charges.
“I’ve made it clear: if you take part in the wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, we will find you, arrest you, and put you behind bars,” Bondi said in a video statement published on X.
Tesla facilities face attacks, vandalism, and protests in a backlash to CEO Elon Musk’s political interventions, including championing Donald Trump’s cost-cutting agenda with the Department of Government Efficiency.
In a statement on March 14, the Loveland Police Department said Frederick, a Fort Collins resident, was arrested after an “incendiary device was ignited and thrown” at the Tesla dealership, landing between two vehicles.
“Several people inside, who were cleaning the building, were put at risk; however, our responding officer quickly extinguished the fire, preventing further harm. The building and several vehicles were also damaged by rocks during this same time,” the statement said.
He was booked on five state charges, including possession of explosives or an incendiary device, police said.
Bondi said Frederick was arrested in Plano, Texas, following “great investigative work by the FBI.” She did not specify what federal charges he was facing, and the charging documents were not available to the public when this article was published.
Frederick isn’t the only one facing charges relating to the Loveland dealership.
Lucy Grace Nelson, 40, was charged in February with criminal intent to commit a felony, criminal mischief, and using explosives or incendiary devices during a felony at the dealership, according to Colorado police records.
Last month, Bondi said the DOJ had charged multiple suspects accused of attacking Tesla property, including some with crimes that carry mandatory minimum sentences of five years.
Paul Hyon Kim, 36, is also facing state and federal charges, including arson, unlawful possession of incendiary devices and a firearm, property destruction, and discharging a firearm into a vehicle at a Tesla dealership in Las Vegas last week, per reports from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the DOJ.
Last month, Musk told Fox News he was shocked by the violence. He called it “insane and deeply wrong” on X writing, “Tesla just makes electric cars and has done nothing to deserve these evil attacks.”
A fire at a Tesla dealership in Rome destroyed 17 cars on Monday. Local firefighters told BI the cause was under investigation. Musk posted to X it was “terrorism.”
