Tesla always attracts media attention for some reason or other, but this time it is in the limelight for an absurd incident at its Gggafactory. A photographer named Andy Barron working for the Reno Gazette-Journal (RGJ) allegedly struck two Tesla employees with a Jeep he was driving and was arrested on Friday on two counts of battery with a deadly weapon.
What happened at Tesla’s gigafactory?
According to a Tesla blog post, before the altercation, two RGJ employees at the gigafactory were seen taking pictures. A Tesla safety manager who received a complaint of the two journalists trespassing on the gigafactory property, went up to them and asked their names, which the RGJ employees reportedly refused to give even though they were wearing RGJ press badges and had RGJ logos on the doors of their Jeep.
After this, a second safety manager at the gigafactory asked the RGJ employees to wait as security management and the sheriff’s department are on their way to the scene. The RGJ employees disregarded the request and entered the Jeep.
When the Tesla employee made an attempt to “record the license plate number on the rear bumper,” the driver allegedly put the Jeep in reverse, knocking him over. The Tesla employee sustained injuries to the left hip, “an approximate 2″ bleeding laceration to his right forearm, a 3″ bleeding laceration to his upper arm, and scrapes on both palms.”
The two RGJ employee then reportedly tried to flee the scene and allegedly struck the ATV carrying the two safety managers. When one of them got off the ATV and went towards the Jeep, the driver allegedly accelerated into him, hitting him in the waist.
One suspect arrested
RGJ also narrated the incident in a report, noting that the photographer, Barron, was arrested after an on-the-scene police investigation. Barron was held on bail of $30,000 and is no longer in custody, according to what a representative for the Storey County Sheriff’s Office told Mashable. Barron has been on staff at RGJ since 1998.
While speaking to an RGJ reporter, RGJ Publisher John Maher said, “We take this situation very seriously and it is under investigation at this time.”
Tesla mentioned in its post that both journalists will be charged with trespassing. The EV firm said that trespassing by RGJ employees has been a concern for it, and it will work with authorities to ensure that those “responsible are brought to justice.”
