A recent act of vandalism involving a Tesla Cybertruck has captured attention after a woman fittingly named Karen was filmed damaging the vehicle with a board studded with nails. This peculiar incident led to her arrest by local authorities.
Identified as 67-year-old Karen Cooke Lewis, the suspect was taken into custody in Collettsville, North Carolina, after reportedly targeting the much-debated electric vehicle. The Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office provided details of her arrest, which took place on a Tuesday.
Collettsville, a small unincorporated area located approximately two hours north of Charlotte, served as the backdrop for this unusual event.
The owner of the damaged Cybertruck, named in the arrest warrant as Jason Lamar Hooper, managed to capture the alleged act of vandalism on surveillance video. He promptly reported the incident to law enforcement, who were then able to swiftly identify and apprehend Lewis.
The alleged attack occurred on a Sunday, while Lewis was detained two days later and held at the Caldwell County Detention Center, with bail set at $1,000. Captain Thomas Bailey informed the Daily Mail that Lewis was able to post bond and subsequently released. Court records show that her time in custody lasted only about an hour.
Captain Thomas Bailey confirmed to the Daily Mail that Lewis posted bond and was released. Court records indicate she was only in custody for about an hour.
Hooper shared surveillance footage from his Tesla on social media shortly after the incident.
He wrote on Facebook that his Cybertruck was damaged at a local park just after 11 am and that he had filed a police report.
Karen Cooke Lewis, pictured above in surveillance camera footage, was arrested for allegedly vandalizing a Tesla Cybertruck in North Carolina
Lewis, pictured above in a booking photo, was arrested on one charge of injury to personal property for allegedly vandalizing the vehicle with a nail-studded board
Jason Hooper, pictured above in a social media photo, was identified as the owner of the Tesla Cybertruck. He shared surveillance footage on his social media account after the incident
‘A masked woman walking two dogs off leash scratched the truck with a board containing nails, then placed the board under my tire hoping I’d run over it. She also placed an aluminum sign under another tire (like it would do something?),’ Hooper said.
‘I honestly thought we were past the “vandalize Teslas because they’re Teslas” stage… apparently not.’
Lewis has been hit with one charge of injury to personal property resulting in damage above $200.
Caldwell District Court records indicate that she has yet to obtain an attorney or enter a plea for the charge against her.
Lewis’ mugshot and a grab from the surveillance footage went viral on social media, with many users pointing to the irony that her first name was ‘Karen.’
‘Karen’ is often used as slang to refer to women who are typically white, middle-class, middle-aged and exhibit a sense of entitlement.
‘I’m sorry but the fact her name is actually Karen is just the icing on the cake,’ one social media comment read.
‘Of course her name is Karen. Just karen being a karen,’ another added.
‘Knuckleheads don’t realize Teslas have cameras all around,’ a third said.
Lewis appeared to place a sign near the Cybertruck and slice the vehicle with the board in the video footage. A still from the video is pictured above
Photos of Lewis went viral on social media, with many pointing to the irony of her first name being ‘Karen’
Cybertrucks are equipped with multiple cameras, and drivers can enable ‘sentry mode’ to capture video footage of potential vandals in the act
Cybertrucks boast a total of five cameras: one on the tailgate, one on each door pillar, one above the front wheel, one above the front bumper and two on the windshield above the rearview mirror.
The car model also features a ‘sentry mode’ which kicks in when the vehicle is locked and in park.
If a threat is detected, the truck automatically pulses its headlights, sounds an alarm, alerts the driver via Tesla’s mobile app and saves the footage to a USB drive.
The Elon Musk-owned car brand has seen an uptick in vandalism since the CEO became closely associated with Donald Trump.
Musk served as the head of the US Department of Government Efficiency last year. His short-lived tenure ended last spring, leading to a public falling-out with the president via a series of social media posts.
Vandalism against Teslas has subsided since he left the position, but multiple high-profile instances made national headlines last year when three individuals were arrested for arson at dealerships and charging stations.
