Utah man arrested after attempting to run Tesla off highway: police

A man in Utah has been arrested after police say that he tried to run a Tesla off the freeway while he was driving over 100 miles per hour.

Oscar Fayani, 27, was arrested on Friday and then booked into Tooele County Jail after he allegedly ran into a Tesla driver on purpose in an attempt to drive the vehicle off the road, according to KSL News. Fayani faces charges of aggravated assault, reckless driving, driving with a suspended license, as well as drug possession.

A little after 10 am on Friday, police were looking for a "reckless driver" on I-80 heading west near Tooele.

"A gold sedan was unable to maintain its lane and was not allowing people to pass," a police report stated. "A second caller reported the vehicle doing similar things, then observed the gold sedan road raging with a black Tesla. This witness reported the vehicles going 115-120 mph."

Troopers stopped and questioned the Tesla driver, who said the driver in the gold sedan ran into him "on purpose to push it off of the roadway. According to other witnesses... the Tesla driver was attempting to get away from the gold sedan who started to follow him," the police document stated.

"The (Tesla) driver admitted to driving over 100 mph and that the gold sedan was still following him. He stated he was attempting to get away from the suspect vehicle. He stated he attempted to exit, wait a few minutes and get back on the freeway. He stated that after he got back on the freeway the gold sedan was waiting for him. The driver stated that the suspect intentionally tried to push into his lane and push him off of the roadway," police recorded in the affidavit.

Some witnesses said that the gold sedan was going 55 mph in the left lane, and that "as other vehicles attempted to pass the gold sedan, the suspect vehicle pulled back in front of them, cutting them off and causing a near-miss-accident."

"During the inventory, under the back seat cushion … two small baggies with residue of a white powdery substance, consistent with meth or cocaine or similar drug use (were found)," authorities said in their report, and said that the powder tested positive for cocaine. "There was a 'roller' in the center console, consistent with use for rolling marijuana joint, with residue on it."

Although the motive in the alleged crime remains unclear, there have been multiple attacks on Tesla cars as well as dealerships in recent weeks amid backlash over Elon Musk working with the Trump administration.