Police charged a 70-year-old man with striking a supporter of President Donald Trump with his car outside a Tesla dealership amid a national wave of anti-Tesla protests Saturday.
Meridian, Idaho, resident Christopher Talbot allegedly “made an obscene gesture” toward a counter-protester before injuring him by driving his car into him, police said, according to local reports. The alleged incident occurred at one of numerous protests at Tesla facilities around the country during what activists called a “Global Day of Action” against Tesla CEO and Trump adviser Elon Musk.
“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 reportedly said. The victim then went to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and was later released.
A 70-year-old man is booked into jail on charges of hitting a Trump supporter with his car at a Tesla protest in Ada County, Idaho on March 29, 2025.
The Meridian Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation. Ada County records do not yet list Talbot’s case or an attorney to contact.
Talbot was booked in an Ada County jail and did not qualify for bond, jail records show. Police reportedly charged him with felony aggravated battery.
The alleged incident marked a weekend of demonstrators showing their anger toward Musk, his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Trump for cutting federal spending and agencies in alignment with the president’s agenda. The Meridian protest reportedly drew about 30 anti-Musk protesters and about 200 counter-protesters.
The FBI previously told the New York Post it was monitoring Saturday’s events for possible threats of violence, and it has formed a Tesla-focused task force to counter what the Trump administration calls a “domestic terrorism” trend against Musk’s company.
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