Shopper caught on camera vandalising Tesla in Westfield carpark
The brazen act was captured on the EV's external cameras, with the alleged culprit seemingly having no idea he'd just been caught red-handed.
An elderly shopper has been caught allegedly "keying" a parked Tesla in broad daylight at a bustling Westfield shopping centre, in what appears to be yet another example of mindless vandalism of EVs.
The Tesla's side cameras capture the man go out of his way to scratch the car, by dragging his key along the side of the vehicle's door, at the Marion Shopping Centre in Adelaide on Monday afternoon, before casually walking off.
According to Westfield, the victim made a complaint to centre management, however a spokesperson for SA Police told Yahoo News Australia on Wednesday that so far no official reports had been made regarding the incident, despite footage of the moment being shared with 7News.
The footage was shown to other shoppers at the centre by the network, with many in disbelief over the alleged attack.
"Oh wow, that's just terrible, I can't believe someone would do that to another person's car," one woman said."He's going to be so embarrassed when he finds out" that he's been caught, another local said.
Australians no strangers to car 'keying'
It's certainly not the first time a Tesla has been targeted by keying vandals. Late last year, two senior citizens — Raymond and Barbara Edwards — were captured on dash-cam at Brisbane's Brookside Shopping Centre keying a Tesla and a BMW.
Unbeknownst to the pair, the vehicle's external cameras caught the entire thing. They claimed the "out of character" behaviour was a result of being cut off in traffic.
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On January 16 of this year, the pair were ordered to pay restitution for the damage caused to the Tesla and the BMW, with Raymond ordered to pay $2,443 and Barbara $897.
In March, an elderly man was been caught on camera keying a parked car in a busy shopping centre in Melbourne, leaving Aussies in "shock" over what they said was a "disgusting" act. While just last Thursday, an elderly man was caught on camera keying a stranger’s Tesla in broad daylight in NSW. The car’s owner, David Shannon, asked the public to help identify the man after after the incident outside Woolworths in Queanbeyan.
Teslas have become increasingly common on Australia's roads. But despite their extensive camera systems, these stories continue to make the news as unwitting vandals are recorded.
In 2020, a woman was also captured keying a Tesla that she claimed parked in a accessible bay without a permit.
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