A 29-year-old employee at Tesla's Fremont plant is in police custody after he allegedly shot and killed a coworker on Monday, in the factory parking lot.
The appearance of a dead body in the parking lot of Tesla's East Bay manufacturing plant made national news Monday and Tuesday, and the arrest made in the case is making the rounds as well — appearing on CNN, Fox News, and in the New York Post. The victim has yet to be identified, but Fremont Police say they quickly arrested Tesla employee Anthony Solima after surveillance footage indicated he had committed the crime.
The victim was found unresponsive in the parking lot at 3:30 p.m. Monday, and the victim had reportedly just gotten off of a shift at the factory.
Fremont police conducted surveillance of Solima Monday evening before obtaining search and arrest warrants and arresting him in Milpitas as he got out of his car. In his vehicle police say they found a .223 caliber, short-barrel rifle (shown above) with no serial number, which was likely used in the crime. Several .223-caliber bullet casings were also found at the scene, as CNN reports.
Solima is a resident of Milpitas.
Coworkers tell authorities that Solima and the victim had been in argument earlier in the day, and Solima abruptly walked off the job just prior to the shooting.
Solima was taken to Santa Rita Jail for questioning, and is being held there.
The Tesla facilities in Fremont span 370 acres, and the plant employs more than 10,000 people. The plant has been the subject of several recent lawsuits from employees, including one filed in November claiming "rampant sexual harassment" at the facility. A Black former employee was awarded $137 million in damages in October from a lawsuit against the company stemming from his claims of over racial harassment that went unpunished.
A motive for this week's shooting has not yet been discussed.
Previously: Dead Body Found at Fremont Tesla Factory, Police Rule It a Homicide