Masked suspect uses Molotov cocktails to burn North Charleston Tesla charging stations

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Police in North Charleston are searching for a suspect who burned Tesla charging stations at the Tanger Outlets last Friday.

Officers were called to the Mellow Mushroom on Tanger Outlet Boulevard for a report of an arson in progress on Mar. 7 at 7:13 p.m., according to a North Charleston Police Department report.

When they arrived, witnesses explained a White man in a grey jacket/hoodie with a black face mask spray painted “F*** Trump, long live Ukraine” in red next to the Tesla charging stations outside.

The man then made homemade Molotov cocktails out of beer bottles and threw them at the charging stations. People began calling 911, and the suspect fled on foot by the Zaxbys and toward the hotels behind it.

“Witnesses advised that the suspect had accidentally caught their own back on fire while throwing the devices,” the report states.

Fire crews arrived shortly after and cut the power to the charging stations. No injuries were reported.

Law enforcement took the glass from the homemade devices to use and test for fingerprints. According to the report, the damage is estimated to be about $60,000.

Tesla dealerships and charging stations have been the target of suspected arson attacks nationwide in recent weeks as Tesla CEO Elon Musk faces backlash over his efforts to slash government spending and drastically cut the federal workforce.