Tesla vandal is spared charges after inflicting thousands of dollars of damage in Twin Cities lot

Bloomington police are embracing mercy and calling for an end to the rash vandalism of Teslas.

Police Chief Booker Hodges said his department is yielding to the wishes of one Tesla owner and won't pursue a criminal case against a woman who did thousands of dollars of damage to his vehicle parked outside a Cub Foods.

Teslas have been smashed and set ablaze in recent weeks across the country, and protests have been staged at hundreds of dealerships, including in Golden Valley.

The uproar is in response to company owner Elon Musk's role in pursuing deep cuts in many segments of the federal government on behalf of President Donald Trump.

Some Tesla owners, in a pre-emptive move, have put on bumper stickers that read, "I bought this before Elon went crazy."

On March 26, a 27-year-old Bloomington woman walked past a new Tesla SUV parked outside the Cub Foods on France Avenue north of Old Shakopee Road and scraped it with a key, causing $3,200 in damage, police said.

Police posted on social media a video of the woman in the parking lot and asked for tips helping to find her.

On Tuesday, Hodges said the woman came in with her family one day later and fessed up. He said the Tesla owner just wants her to pay the repair bill.

Hodges said the vandal has since made the 25-year-old Minneapolis car owner whole.

"The victim in this case just wanted their car fixed, and they just wanted the suspect to pay for that," he said.

"Based on the totality of the circumstances here, and along with our core value of being compassionate, this is the best outcome for everybody involved in this case."

Hodges then took the opportunity to push back on what he called "the rhetoric that is being spewed out here by some of those in leadership" about Musk, his car company and the Trump administration.

"We need our leaders to start leading and stop feeding this rhetoric," he said. "People should be able to drive whatever car they want without fear of going into a store and someone scratching their car or people yelling at them because of the car that … they choose to drive.

"It's time for all of us, you know, just to start getting along and knock this stuff off, man. People should be able to be left alone."

Hodges didn't refer to a specific leader in his comments, but among the public figures sounding off about Musk and his car company is Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, whose effort to become vice president fell short last fall.

While campaigning last month in Wisconsin for the liberal state Supreme Court candidate, Walz told a theater crowd in Eau Claire that his new mood booster is tracking Tesla's stock price.

"I take great pleasure in the fact that this guy's life is going to get very, very difficult," Walz said of Musk.

While last week's damage to one of the nearly 24,000 Teslas registered in Minnesota didn't lead to charges, Hodges cautioned that he's not giving a green light to other would-be vandals.

"Rest assured, if you damage these cars or target people, we are going to arrest you, we are going to prosecute you to the fullest extent that we're able to," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.