KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Federal prosecutors Friday announced charges against a 19-year-old Parkville, Missouri, teen in connection to a fire that destroyed two Tesla CyberTrucks at a Kansas City, Missouri, Tesla dealership.
Owen McIntire was charged with one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered destructive device, described in court documents as a Molotov cocktail, and one count of malicious damage by fire of any property used in interstate commerce.
According to court documents, investigators were able to develop a subject vehicle, a white Subaru Crosstrek, in the area of the Tesla dealership around 11 p.m. on Monday, March 17, at State Line Road and W. 101st Street.
Detectives also used cell phone records to place McIntire in the area at the time of the incident.
Detectives were eventually able to track the vehicle and cell phone back to an address in Parkville, which came back to McIntire’s family.
Court documents say that although McIntire was studying at an institute of higher learning in Massachusetts, he was back in Kansas City at the time of the Tesla incident on spring break.
“ATF’s Special Agents and forensic experts recovered and analyzed key evidence—including Molotov cocktails—used in this deliberate and dangerous arson attack,” said Acting Director Dan Driscoll of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). “This wasn’t vandalism — it was a violent criminal act. Thanks to the relentless work of ATF special agents, and our close coordination with the FBI and local law enforcement, we now have a suspect in custody."
LINK | Read the criminal complaint
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