Police arrested a 36-year-old Las Vegas cinematographer and accused of him throwing Molotov cocktails and opening fire on Teslas earlier this month, officials said Thursday.
Paul Kim was booked into custody on Wednesday and was charged with multiple felonies, including arson and possession of an explosive device, Clark County jail records showed.
Detectives were able to spot Kim fleeing in a Black Honda Elantra, and that helped them eventually identify and arrest him, according to Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
“This case has been worked around the clock,” Koren told reporters on Thursday. “Sheriff [Kevin] McMahill and FBI Special Agent in Charge Spencer Evans have made it a top priority for our organization and put a tremendous amount of workforce behind it.”
Cameras across Las Vegas, drones and license plate readers also played key roles in this case, McMahill said.
“The technology is actually what helped solve this in particular,” McMahill said.
Kim will also face federal charges, in addition to the state case, said FBI Special Agent Evans, who runs the Las Vegas field office.
“For individuals who are contemplating similar attacks, there’s nothing courageous or noble about fire bombing private property and terrorizing your local community,” Evans said.
“The self-righteous mob cheering you on today, to commit acts of violence on their behalf, will leave you high and dry and forget about you tomorrow. And at the end of the day, you and you alone, will be held responsible and face the prospect of a lengthy prison sentence.”
A person, dressed all in black, attacked the Tesla Collision Center, at 6260 Badura Ave., at 2:45 a.m. on March 18 in what’s been a pattern of violent incidents against property associated with Elon Musk, the billionaire Tesla CEO and adviser to President Donald Trump.
The attacker “used what appeared to be a Molotov cocktails and a firearm to conduct his attack,” Koren said at the time.
The suspect also “fired three rounds into different Tesla vehicles,” in what Koren called a “targeted” attack.
“Our search has revealed numerous items of interest, to include multiple rifles, a shotgun, a handgun and miscellaneous gun parts,” Doren said Thursday.
It wasn’t immediately clear Thursday if Kim had hired or been assigned a criminal defense lawyer to speak on his behalf.
Loved ones had been trying to reach Kim because they hadn’t heard from him in a few days, a brother of the suspect said. When reached by NBC News and told of his arrest, the brother went silent.
“I’m sorry, I’m not comfortable speaking right now. This is all big news to me,” said his shaken brother, 31-year-old Andrew Kim.
Helen Kwong, Marin Scott and Austin Mullen contributed.
