D.C. police investigating vandalism to Teslas as possible hate crimes [View all]
Source: Washington Post
The trouble began at Union Station, D.C. police said, when someone scrawled, “Ask me about my support of Nazis” across a Tesla’s rear window on March 2.
D.C. police say they are investigating the ‘Nazi’ comment, an apparent reference to a gesture criticized as a Nazi-style salute that Musk made on Inauguration Day, and one other, as potential hate crimes.
Prosecutors must prove a person was motivated by prejudice to secure a conviction in a bias-related crime. While targeting someone based on their political affiliation opens the door for such a charge, prosecutors ultimately decide after an arrest has been made and a motive developed. Police statistics show that until now they have not investigated a politically motived hate crime in the past four years in D.C. Through the end of February, police have investigated 17 crimes as hate-related this year, based on ethnicity, national origin, race, gender identity and religion.
The maximum penalty for defacing private property in the District is a $5,000 fine and up to a year in jail. A hate crime conviction would increase these penalties.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/03/26/tesla-dc-police-vandalism/
So now being against Nazis is a hate crime!
This is the same DC Police who, when called by US Institute of Peace staff to help them fend off DOGE trespassers on USIP private property, instead took DOGE's word and kicked the USIP staff out of the building!
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