---
title: "Tesla Driver Caught at Charging Station After Intentionally Running Over Pedestrian"
description: "A police department in Washington was practically handed a hit and run suspect on a silver platter. The driver was illegally parked, charging his Tesla."
date: "2021-09-22"
modified: "2021-09-22"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-driver-caught-charging-station-pedestrian"
categories:
  - "Advanced Transport"
  - "Tesla"
tags:
  - "electric cars"
  - "tesla"
  - "the digest"
---

# Tesla Driver Caught at Charging Station After Intentionally Running Over Pedestrian

![A police department in Washington was practically handed a hit and run suspect on a silver platter. The driver was illegally parked, charging his Tesla.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/tesla-driver-caught-charging-station-pedestrian.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Futurism\</em\>*

## Hit and Run

The Moses Lake Police Department in Washington were practically handed a hit and run suspect this week.

A red Tesla [intentionally hit](<https://business.facebook.com/pg/Moses-Lake-Police-Department-194794580564932/posts/>) a male pedestrian on Sunday afternoon after a verbal altercation, the cops say, and tried to flee the scene afterward.

But officers caught up with him while illegally parked at a nearby charging station — a hilariously convenient and somehow obvious place to find a perpetrator driving an electric car.

## Red Handed

The driver didn't even wipe the handprints off of his hood because he was "so concerned about charging his vehicle," according to a [Facebook update](<https://business.facebook.com/pg/Moses-Lake-Police-Department-194794580564932/posts/>) by the police department.

The victim got away with bumps and bruises. The Tesla driver, however, was charged with second degree assault and hit and run.

It's the "first Tesla involved accident that officers have responded to in Moses Lake," according to the update, making it stand out for local officers.

But at least now, they'll know where to look the next time a Tesla driver tries to get away.

**READ MORE:** [Tesla Driver in Moses Lake Accused of Intentionally Hitting Pedestrian Before Illegally Charging Car](<https://www.kpq.com/tesla-driver-in-moses-lake-accused-of-intentionally-hitting-pedestrian-before-illegally-charging-car/>) \[*KPQ*\]

**More on Tesla:** *[Tesla Owners Furious That Elon Musk Keeps Pushing Back Full Self-Driving](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-owners-furious>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)