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'People Should Not Drive Teslas Over My House'

Tesla police name TikTok star as person of interest in car stunt
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 21, 2022 8:30 AM CDT
Updated Mar 26, 2022 12:40 PM CDT
'People Should Not Drive Teslas Over My House'
Screenshot from video of the stunt.   (YouTube/LAPD Central Traffic)

Update: The LAPD may have their man. Police have named TikTok star Dominykas Zeglaitis as a "person of interest" in a Tesla stunt that resulted in what they consider to be a hit-and-run crash, reports USA Today. One big reason: Zeglaitis (@dominykas) has been claiming credit for the airborne stunt on social media, and 90% of the tips to cops about the incident blame him. Police say they have "reached out" to Zeglaitis, but no arrests have been made. Our original story from Monday follows:

A steep street in a Los Angeles neighborhood that attracts stunt-happy drivers and skateboarders was the site of another daredevil attempt over the weekend that now has local police looking for the driver of a rented Tesla. The LAPD says the incident took place early Sunday, just after the midnight hour, involving a 2018 Tesla S-BLM that sped through an intersection in the city's Echo Park section, went airborne for a few seconds, then came crashing down on its front wheels, per KABC.

In a video posted by the LAPD's Central Traffic Division, in which about a dozen people can be seen recording the Tesla's antics on their phones, the sound of a crash can be heard down the road after the Tesla's leap through the air. KABC notes the Tesla slammed into two parked vehicles and numerous garbage cans. The video then switches to an assessment of the damaged vehicles, with a woman asking if 911 was called. "No, I don't think so. Everyone's just fine," a man's voice can be heard saying.

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Witnesses tells KABC the driver jumped into a car driven by other people who'd been recording the feat and fled. "It was super dangerous for them and for us," one resident says. "The car could have easily slid into our property." He adds, per CBS Los Angeles: "Only if there's a high-profile arrest or fine will there be some kind of sign people should not drive Teslas over my house." Police say the driver will face misdemeanor hit-and-run charges, reports the Los Angeles Times. They plan on tracking down the person who rented the Tesla to see what they know; the LAPD will pay a $1,000 reward to anyone who can help ID the driver. Tipsters can call the LAPD at (213) 833-3713 or Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477, or they can submit an anonymous tip at www.lacrimestoppers.org. (More Tesla stories.)

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