Kevin O’Leary has delivered a brutal six-word prediction for people who have taken to the streets to purposely set Teslas ablaze.
The outspoken Shark Tank star warned those setting electric vehicles alight that they’ll ‘rot in hell in prison.’
O’Leary, 70, tore into the criminals responsible for the shocking acts of destruction on Wednesday’s episode of ‘CNN NewsNight.’
‘When you set a car on fire, you should go to jail. You’re a criminal,’ he said bluntly.
‘And I don’t think we have to talk about it in any other context,’ the business tycoon added.
The multi-millionaire entrepreneur showed zero sympathy for the perpetrators and issued a warning to anyone considering joining in on the action.
‘All those cars have cameras in them, and those dealerships have cameras. You’re beyond being stupid when you do that,’ he explained. ‘You’re going to spend five to 20 years in prison.’
He then went on further, suggesting the most severe penalties could apply.
Kevin O’Leary, 70, tore into the criminals responsible for the shocking acts of destruction on Wednesday’s episode of ‘ CNN NewsNight’
The outspoken Shark Tank star warned those setting electric vehicles alight that they’ll ‘rot in hell in prison’
‘If they get them on terrorism-which I think is a stretch-there will be no parole, no shortened sentence, he said.
‘They’ll rot in hell in prison for 20 years,’ he continued.
‘And frankly, as far as I’m concerned, that’s okay,’ he added.
When pressed about potential ‘protest’ motivations behind the incidents, O’Leary shut down the suggestion immediately.
‘What protests? You’re a criminal,’ he fired back. ‘Nothing to do with politics, nothing to do with Tesla.’
The businessman’s comments come amid increasing reports of Tesla vehicles being targeted by arsonists.
Recent surveillance footage that has emerged has captured the perpetrators in the act.
There have been more than a dozen acts of vandalism against Tesla vehicles, dealerships and charging stations since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, according to police and local reports.
Four Tesla Cybertrucks were set ablaze overnight at a storage lot in Seattle’s industrial SoDo neighborhood. Seattle police are investigating if the blaze was an act of arson
Adam Matthew Lansky, 41, was arrested last Tuesday, March 4, after he allegedly threw molotov cocktails at a Tesla showroom in Salem, Oregon, on January 20
A Tesla showroom in Salem, Oregon, was shot at with an AR 15-style rifle in February. Suspected vandal Adam Matthew Lansky, 41, is also accused of causing major damage at the same store with molotov cocktails in January.
Similarly, four Tesla Cybertrucks were set ablaze overnight at a storage lot in Seattle’s industrial SoDo neighborhood, KING-TV reported.
Officials say at least two vehicles were severely damaged in the fire.
Last week, a man accidentally set himself on fire while trying to burn down Tesla chargers to protest Musk, according to police.
Daniel Clarke-Pounder, 24, allegedly burned three Tesla chargers in a South Carolina parking lot and also apparently inadvertently set his clothes with Molotov cocktails on fire on March 7.
He spray-painted in red ‘long live the Ukraine’ and ‘f**k Trump on the pavement next to the charging stations Friday near an outlet mall in North Charleston, according to police.
Clarke-Pounder then ignited an unidentified material stuffed into beer bottles and began to throw the bottles at the stations, police said.
Daniel Clarke-Pounder, 24, set himself on fire while trying to burn down Tesla charges in South Carolina, according to officials
Firefighters quickly moved the vehicles from the fence to stop the blaze from spreading. They also took precautions to limit fire hazards caused by the Cybertrucks’ damaged lithium batteries
While doing so he caught the clothes on his back on fire, then ran from the parking lot, witnesses told police.
Fire crews cut power to the charging stations shortly after the attack and no one was injured, per officials.
Investigators collected the beer bottles while firefighters cut the power to the chargers and put out the blaze.
