Elon Musk calls Tesla vandalism ‘deranged’ after Las Vegas vehicle fires

The Las Vegas Tesla fires mark the latest in a series of blazes the company has faced in U.S and beyond its borders.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk says he’s shocked by the rising number of protests against his electric vehicle company.

During an interview with Fox News’ host Sean Hannity on Tuesday, the tech billionaire said “it’s really come as quite a shock to me that there is this level of  hatred and violence from the left.”

“I thought the left, you know, Democrats, were supposed to be the party of empathy, the party of caring. And yet they’re burning down cars. They’re firebombing dealerships. They’re firing bullets into dealerships. They’re just smashing up Teslas,” he said.

“Tesla is a peaceful company, we’ve never done anything harmful, I’ve never done anything harmful, I’ve only done productive things,” he continued, before calling the attacks “deranged,” and claiming there must be “some kind of mental illness going on.”

Musk also alluded to “larger forces at work.”

“Who’s funding it and who’s coordinating it?” he concluded.

There is no evidence pointing to widespread coordination, and there has been no confirmation of the political affiliations involved in the protests.

Musk’s remarks were in response to a fire at a Tesla collision centre in Las Vegas.