A week of mysterious vandalism targeting Tesla vehicles in Irvine has ended with an arrest. Police say the suspect allegedly damaged 13 cars by spray-painting offensive messages across them. What appeared to be a random string of attacks took an unexpected turn during the investigation.
Detectives arrested 25-year-old Max Sebastian Solomon of Irvine on Tuesday, the Irvine Police Department said. Officers took him into custody at his apartment, which was located across the street from where the vandalism happened. He was booked into the Orange County Jail on a felony vandalism charge, NBC Los Angeles reported.
The investigation gained attention after the police released surveillance videos last week. Officials hoped someone would recognize the suspect. Instead, detectives found another clue that helped identify him. Investigators say a takeout order linked to an earlier incident played a key role in leading them to the suspect.
It all came together because of a takeout order
The first surveillance video was released on July 20, police said. It showed a man allegedly spray-painting a Tesla inside a parking garage near Michelson Drive and Carlson Avenue at about 10:30 p.m. on July 17. At that time, police believed four vehicles had been vandalized.
A few days later, officials released another surveillance video. They said the same suspect returned to a nearby parking garage the following night. Investigators allege he spray-painted nine more Tesla vehicles. That raised the total number of damaged cars to 13…