Police Arrest Suspect in Firebomb Attack on Tesla Service Center in Las Vegas

Police have arrested a suspect in connection with last week’s firebomb attack at a Tesla service center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Paul Kim, 36, was taken into custody Wednesday on suspicion of third-degree arson, property destruction, shooting a gun into a vehicle, and possessing an explosive device, according to KSNV.

In the early morning hours of March 18, five Tesla vehicles at the facility were damaged in the attack, with three completely destroyed.

“He used what appeared to be multiple Molotov cocktails and firearms to conduct his attack,” Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Asst. Sheriff Dori Koren said during a news conference last week.

He told reporters that police also found an “unignited Molotov cocktail” at the scene, as well as evidence that the suspect(s) fired “at least three rounds into different” Teslas. Additionally, the word “RESIST” was spray-painted across the doors of the facility.

FBI Las Vegas Special Agent in Charge Spencer Evans said the firebombing “certainly has some of the hallmarks” of a terrorist attack.

Koren said during a press conference on Thursday that that the arrest was the result of “a collaborative effort involving multiple agencies” and “hundreds of personnel.”

According to Koren, a shotgun, a handgun and ammunition matching the caliber used in the crime were found when a search warrant was executed on his Las Vegas apartment Wednesday evening.

Other key pieces of evidence include a black gun pouch and a black backpack that were found to have residue matching the pink spray paint used to spray “RESIST” across the Tesla facility’s front doors.

The sheriff also said a search of Kim’s social media showed ties to Communist Party USA, Revolutionary Communist Party International and two pro-Palestine groups.

Kim’s Facebook account shows that he works at Freelance Film Crew in Las Vegas. Among his page “likes” are Black Lives Matter, The Liberal Gun Club, Anti-Capitalist League, Vice News, American Psycho, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez Fans, George Takei, Economic Left, The Daily Beast, The New York Times, CNN and “Starting to worry that I might be schizophrenic.”

In January 2021, Kim linked to a platform that published “a list of the identity of the traitors at the attempted coup.”

On Kim’s own website he lists himself as “a traveling cinematographer” whose experience includes weddings, films, reality TV, live events, documentaries and digital content.

He has years of working experience in Reality TV Production, Digital Content and Narrative Films. Clients include Discovery Channel, National Geographic, Alibaba, and more. Give him a call or shoot him an email, he’s super friendly and will get you what you need.

Kim appeared in court for a preliminary hearing Thursday afternoon and is being detained at the Clark County Detention Center.