EXCLUSIVE: Video shows vandal spray-painting East Bay man's Tesla

BERKELEY, Calif. (KGO) -- A Tesla owner is speaking out after his car was vandalized with graffiti in a Berkeley parking lot, an incident that was caught on the vehicle's built-in cameras.

The vandalism happened on March 16 in the parking lot of Whole Foods. Video from the Tesla's onboard surveillance system shows a man driving a Kia sedan pulling up alongside the parked Tesla and spray-painting the vehicle. Paint cans can be seen in both of his hands.

The car's owner, who identified himself as Hiroshi, shared the footage with ABC7 News anchor Dion Lim.

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"I wasn't shocked because this has been happening so frequently," Hiroshi said. "Even the police, when they showed up, both officers are Tesla owners as well. They expressed to me that they've been dealing with this so much. It's like a trend."

Berkeley police have not identified the suspect. They say there have been three arrests at the Tesla showroom on 4th Street in recent weeks, including a man who brandished a stun gun.

Hiroshi said he was able to have the spray paint removed and remains undeterred in his loyalty to the Tesla brand. He told ABC7 he plans to expedite his order for the company's new Cybertruck.

There's been a clear uptick in these kinds of incidents since President Donald Trump took office and empowered Tesla CEO Elon Musk to oversee a new Department of Government Efficiency that's slashing government spending. Experts on domestic extremism say it's impossible to know yet if the spate of incidents will balloon into a long-term pattern.

Musk critics have organized dozens of peaceful demonstrations at Tesla dealerships and factories across North America and Europe. Some Tesla owners, including a U.S. senator who feuded with Musk, have vowed to sell their vehicles.

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The White House vows a crackdown

The White House has thrown its weight behind Musk, the highest-profile member of Trump's administration and a key donor to committees promoting Trump's political interests. Trump has said Tesla vandalism amounts to "domestic terror," and Trump has threatened retribution, warning that those who target the company are "going to go through hell."

Attorney General Pam Bondi said she'd opened an investigation "to see how is this being funded, who is behind this."

"If you're going to touch a Tesla, go to a dealership, do anything, you better watch out because we're coming after you," Bondi said Friday on Fox Business Network. In a statement Tuesday, she vowed to "continue investigations that impose severe consequences," including for "those operating behind the scenes to coordinate and fund these crimes."

Colin Clarke, a senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, said left-wing political violence tends to target property rather than people. He views the rise of neo-Nazi groups as a bigger security threat at this point.

"It's not the type of act that I would prioritize," Clarke said. "Not right now compared to all the other threats that are out there."

The Associated Press contributed to this article.