Authorities arrested on Friday Reno Gazette-Journal (RGJ) photographer Andy Barron for illegally entering Tesla's Gigafactory and hitting workers with a jeep. He was charged with two counts of battery with a deadly weapon.
Mashable reports that Barron had a disagreement with guards at Gigafactory and drove the Jeep that struck two factory workers. The altercation appears to be caused by the guards catching two journalists from Reno Gazette caught taking photos.
The guard asked for their names, but the journalists refused, although they wore press badges and their vehicle identifies their publication, according to a Tesla safety manager.
According to the Tesla blog post, a second safety manager asked them to wait for security, but instead of obeying, the two journalists entered the jeep and started the vehicle. When they noticed the safety manager record the vehicle's plate number, the journalist reversed and hit the manager, resulting in a hip injury, lacerations on the right forearm, bleeding on the upper arm and scrapes on the palms.
The Storey County Sheriff's Office said that Barron is held on a $30,000 bail.
RGJ publisher John Maher said the company is taking the situation very seriously and is investigating Barron who has been with the company since 1998. It is not the first time that Tesla has experienced trespassing by Reno Gazette employees.
Tesla manufactures its lithium-ion battery at Gigafactory, located outside Sparks, Nevada. Reno Gazette said it is covering the facility's construction which started in 2014.
In a blog post, Tesla says, "We appreciate the interest in the Gigafactory, but the repeated acts of trespassing, including by those working for RGJ, is illegal, dangerous and needs to stop," quotes Silicon Valley Business Journal.