Dallas, TX
Tesla owner in Dallas sues vandal after Model X slashed in airport parking lot
A Dallas man whose Tesla Model X was vandalized in the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport parking lot is suing the vandal for more than $1 million.
The suspect, Rafael Hernandez, was arrested March 22 on a criminal mischief charge by the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office after he was recorded by the Tesla’s built-in cameras striking the left side of the electric-powered vehicle.
The victim, who is choosing to remain anonymous, was traveling when his Tesla was damaged in the airport parking lot. In the footage obtained by Fox, Hernandez can be seen pulling an object out of his pocket and forcing it into the side of the Model X.
The Tesla owner told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview that the “motives were wrong, and [Hernandez’s] acts were intentional — it is for a judge and jury to decide, based on the facts, what his punishment should be. I believe strongly that I was targeted because my car is a Tesla. I didn’t even realize that this nationwide Tesla attack was even a thing — until I was thrown into that world. What’s important to me is that it happened, it was intentional, and it was wrong. As a result, I’ve been thrown into a nightmare, and I don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”
ELON MUSK TORCHES DEMOCRATS FOR BEING ‘REAL VILLAINS’ OF TESLA VANDALISM, BLAMES LEFT-WING PROPAGANDA
A man was seen on camera keying a Tesla in the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport parking lot. The suspect, Rafael Hernandez, was arrested March 22 on a criminal mischief charge. (Fox News)
Fox News Digital reached out to the attorney representing Hernandez, but he could not be reached for comment.
The lawsuit filed by the victim outlines “Individual owners of Tesla vehicles, like Plaintiff, are being targeted and victimized by ongoing criminal conduct and action. This has culminated in the ‘Tesla Takedown’ movement, where certain activists are urging consumers to divest from Tesla products and are organizing protests and other activities that are explicitly or implicitly urging physical damage and/or violence against Tesla owners and/or their Tesla vehicles. Plaintiff recently became a target and victim of this criminal conduct and action.”
One outspoken voice of the “Tesla Takedown” movement, Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, told attendees at a virtual rally earlier this month that the Department of Government Efficiency head and Tesla founder Elon Musk must be “taken down.”
VANDAL STRIKES CYBERTRUCK, TESLA OWNER HITS BACK
The victim’s attorney, Majed Nachawati, right, spoke with Fox News Digital about the incident. (Fox News)
On Saturday, demonstrators gathered at more than 500 Tesla locations worldwide in a “Global Day of Action” to protest the Musk-founded car company.
In an interview, Majed Nachawati, the attorney representing the Dallas-based Tesla owner in the lawsuit, told Fox News Digital that owning a car shouldn’t be political. “Whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, this is a free country. You’re entitled to drive whatever you want, as long as it’s legal and within the confines of the law, and you should feel safe and secure in doing so, which, in my opinion, is why the authorities on the law enforcement side are taking these cases very seriously.”
WATCH THE INTERVIEW WITH THE ATTORNEY:
Nachawati went on to explain the importance of consequences for those vandalizing the vehicles, saying “It’s a slippery slope, where does it end? Right? Fortunately, you know, my client’s car was keyed. He wasn’t injured himself, and he wasn’t in the vehicle. But others haven’t been so lucky, and so if this continues, you know, it’s a fine line between having a civil society and chaos.”
MAN ARRESTED IN MOLOTOV COCKTAIL ATTACK AT TESLA SHOP IN LAS VEGAS WILL ALSO FACE FEDERAL CHARGES
FBI Director Kash Patel, who recently launched a task force to crack down on violent attacks against the car brand, warned Tesla dealerships and owners to “exercise vigilance and look out for suspicious activity” ahead of this past weekend’s widespread protests.
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Fox News Digital reached out to the Tarrant County District Attorney’s office, but they could not be reached for comment.
Dallas, TX
Dallas County eyes new multibillion-dollar jail to replace aging Lew Sterrett facility
It became Dallas County’s new, contemporary facility to house accused criminals in 1993. Today, close to 7,000 men and women each day either serve time, wait for trials, or transfer to state prison inside the county’s Lew Sterrett jail.
The elected leader of county government, Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins, says it’s time for a new facility — and it will cost billions to build it.
“We’ve got to begin planning and doing the work, because we can’t wait until this jail is absolutely just failing,” said Jenkins.
Expansion and development in and around downtown Dallas have the county keeping quiet about future locations.
“So we are looking at sites, and I think we’ll have land purchased this year,” Jenkins said. “And a land purchase in the relative scheme of things is a very insignificant financial amount of this.
“When I’m talking about starting on planning and building of a jail, I’m talking about something that will open perhaps 8 or 9 or even ten years from now.”
To complete a new facility in 10 years, Jenkins said the costs will be in the billions, based on a desire to build a jail that offers mental health and substance abuse treatment, trying to end the cycle of folks filling the jail, arrested over and over again for non-violent crimes.
Dallas, TX
Dallas church stands firm with rainbow steps art win
A hearing room at Dallas City Hall was packed with an overflow crowd. Supporters of Oak Lawn United Methodist Church were ready for a fight, but that fight was one-sided.
“Rainbow steps shouldn’t be controversial,” one supporter said during his 3 minutes at the public comment microphone. “It’s just paint, y’all!”
The church came to the Dallas Landmark Commission to get permission for the rainbow steps painted last month in response to Governor Greg Abbott’s order to paint over crosswalks with political or ideological references, like the rainbow crosswalk outside Oak Lawn United Methodist.
“”These rainbow steps that I’m sitting on are an art installation,” Oak Lawn United Methodist Church Senior Pastor Reverend Rachel Griffin-Allison said. “We feel that it is urgent to make a statement, make a bold statement, and a visible statement, to say that who you are is queer, and beloved, and belongs here.”
As NBC 5 spoke with the pastor, someone yelled homophobic insults from a passing car.
“This is important to have because that kind of heckling happens all the time,” Griffin-Allison said somberly.
The church, a Gothic revival building, is a designated historic landmark, which is why it needed the Dallas Landmark Commission’s approval.
“They are not considered part of the historic preservation building; they are just steps,” one speaker said during public comments.
Several speakers pointed out that the steps had been painted a “gaudy blood red” in the past, and then a shade of gray with no comments or approval.
“When I see the stairs, I see love, support, inclusion, and kindness,” a woman wearing sequin rainbow sneakers said. “They bring a smile to my face and my heart.”
“If you don’t like rainbow steps on your church, then go to one of the 500 churches that don’t have them,” a young man said to the commissioners. “We have one street that represents this culture, and we have one church with rainbow steps!”
Not a single speaker spoke out against the rainbow steps art installation, and it was apparent there was no fight with the commissioners either, as they unanimously voted to allow the rainbow steps to stay up for 3 years.
Dallas, TX
Dallas dating app meeting ends in fatal shooting and murder charge
DALLAS – Dallas police arrested a man for murder after they say he shot a couple he met through an online dating app.
What we know:
Investigators say 26-year-old Noah Trueba shot and killed a 57-year-old woman on Friday morning in Northwest Dallas. Dallas Fire-Rescue responded and pronounced one of the individuals, 57-year-old Guadalupe Gonzalez, dead at the scene.
The second victim was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
According to an affidavit, Trueba drank and used drugs with the two, who called themselves husband and wife. Trueba later told police that the couple tried to sexually assault him, so he opened fire.
A police drone located him hiding along a nearby highway, after he ran from the scene.
What’s next:
Trueba was arrested at the scene. He is currently booked in the Dallas County Jail and being charged with murder.
This is an ongoing investigation and anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Brewster Billings at 214-671-3083 or at brewster.billings@dallaspolice.gov.
The Source: Information in this article was provided from documents provided by the Dallas Police Department.
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