Irvine, California — A 25-year-old man is facing felony vandalism charges after police say he spray-painted 13 Teslas over a two-week spree in Orange County, an incident that underscores rising tensions around the electric vehicle brand.
Max Sebastian Solomon, an Irvine resident, was taken into custody on July 29 after investigators linked him to a series of attacks dating back to July 17. The first known incident occurred around 10:30 p.m. in a shopping center parking garage, where surveillance footage captured Solomon spray-painting a Tesla. Three other vehicles were found damaged in the same garage that night, police said.
Four days later, on July 24, police released updated video showing a suspect they believed was the same individual walking through the garage. Investigators later connected Solomon to nine additional vandalized Teslas, bringing the total to 13.
According to Irvine police, a break in the case came when detectives learned of a separate verbal altercation in the city where a man was seen spitting on a Tesla stopped at an intersection. That detail, combined with a takeout order Solomon was carrying during one of the incidents, allowed authorities to identify and locate him.
Solomon was booked into the Orange County Jail on felony vandalism charges. Authorities have not disclosed a motive, but the attacks come amid a broader climate of hostility toward Tesla CEO Elon Musk and the company’s political affiliations. The vandalism spree is the latest in a string of incidents targeting Tesla vehicles across the country, with some activists linking the brand to conservative causes.
The case has drawn attention to the intersection of corporate identity and political backlash, a dynamic that has intensified as Musk’s public profile has grown more partisan. In recent months, California's ongoing battles over policy have sometimes spilled into public spaces, but vehicle vandalism remains rare.
Irvine police have not said whether Solomon had any prior criminal record, and it remains unclear if he acted alone or as part of a larger group. The department is continuing to investigate whether additional vehicles were targeted.
For now, the arrest offers a measure of closure for Tesla owners in Irvine who had grown wary of parking in the shopping center garage. But the broader question of what’s driving the attacks — and whether they will continue — remains unanswered.
