Anti-Elon Musk protester charged, accused of hitting pro-Musk counterprotester with car

(Idaho Statesman) — Meridian police arrested an anti-Tesla protester for allegedly hitting a counterprotester with a vehicle on Saturday.

A preliminary law enforcement investigation found that 70-year-old Christopher Talbot, of Meridian, “made an obscene gesture toward a 49-year-old victim before hitting him with his car” at about 1 p.m., the Meridian Police Department said in a news release.

The two men were both attending a protest at the Tesla dealership at 2554 W. Franklin Road in Meridian.

Police said about 30 people attended to protest Tesla CEO Elon Musk but were outnumbered by about 200 counterprotesters.

“Reports indicate the victim had been driving a truck with pro-Trump flags and had just parked and exited his vehicle when Talbot struck him with his car,” police said. “The victim drove himself to a local hospital, where he was treated and released for non-life-threatening injuries.”

Officers arrested Talbot at his home after the victim provided police with Talbot’s license plate number, according to the release.

Talbot was booked on a felony charge for aggravated battery with use of a deadly weapon or instrument.

The event was one of many “Tesla Takedown” protests organized by groups Troublemakers and The Disruption Project as part of a “global day of action” against Elon Musk, according to the event’s web page on Action Network. Action Network describes itself on its website as an “open platform that empowers individuals and groups to organize for progressive causes.”

The billionaire businessman, who has been embroiled in numerous controversies over the years, has received increased criticism for his role as head of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). DOGE has spearheaded mass layoffs and funding cuts at federal departments across the country, including in Idaho.

“Elon Musk is destroying our democracy, and he’s using the fortune he built at Tesla to do it,” the event page said. “We are taking action at Tesla to stop Musk’s illegal coup.”

The far-right group Idaho Liberty Dogs posted about the event on its Facebook page, saying that “patriots from across Idaho” planned to gather “peacefully in front of the Tesla dealership in Meridian to stand against any vandalism/destruction.”

Police reported no vandalism at the Meridian event. The Tesla Takedown page said its protests are “peaceful” and “oppose violence, vandalism and destruction of property.”

“The Meridian Police Department reminds people to respect everyone’s right to protest and express their 1st Amendment Rights without resorting to violence,” the department said in its news release.

Police asked anyone with information that may help with their investigation to call Ada County Dispatch at (208) 377-6790.

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