Tesla Dashcam Helped Catch a Criminal Who Shot a Projectile at a Driving Model Y

Photo: CHP - South Sacramento/Facebook

The criminal who shot out of his car window at a moving Model Y was caught by the police thanks to the Tesla's dashcam feature. Investigators believe that the arrested person could be responsible for other similar crimes on local highways.

On the morning of June 29, a Tesla Model Y owner was driving along California Interstate 5 near Cosumnes River Boulevard. Suddenly he noticed that the rear right window had broken spontaneously. This shocked the driver, however, after he got to his destination, he watched the footage from the cameras. After watching the video, the Tesla owner was even more shocked. He clearly saw that the driver of a Nissan Rogue, which was passing by at that moment, aimed some weapon and fired it at his Model Y. As soon as the projectile touched the window, it shattered to smithereens. It is good that at that moment there were no passengers in the back seat, as they could have been seriously injured. After the criminal fired at the Tesla, he calmly continued to drive on.

The Model Y owner immediately contacted the police. Officers from the South Sacramento Area CHP responded to the call, and after watching the video the crime was confirmed. They concluded that a firearm was ruled out as the involved weapon. After further analysis of the video, enough information was collected to identify the gunman and later locate his location.

July 7, 2021, Investigators from the Valley Division Investigative Services Unit (ISU) along with Officers from the South Sacramento Area, served a search warrant on a Nissan Rogue SUV parked near the address of 4916 Don Julio Boulevard in the North Sacramento Area. Upon arrival, officers found that the suspect, 42-year-old Jose Eliseo Capacho Bonilla, was asleep in his car. A search of the car revealed two types of homemade contraptions used for shooting projectiles. Also discovered were numerous BBs and 10 to 11 golf ball/marble-sized rocks which had been shaped down into round balls. Damage inside the vehicle also further confirmed that it had been fired from.

Bonilla was arrested and charged with Felony Vandalism, Felony Assault with a Deadly Weapon, and Felony Throwing a Substance at a Vehicle/Occupant. Investigators speculate that the caught criminal could have been responsible for similar incidents on local highways.

Thanks to cameras in Tesla cars, many criminals have already been caught. Its cars have repeatedly proven their ability to provide evidence in solving crimes of varying complexity. Once other manufacturers start equipping their cars with cameras, similar to Tesla, it will significantly reduce the crime rate in the areas where vehicles are located.

© 2021, Eva Fox. All rights reserved.

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Article edited by @SmokeyShorts, you can follow him on Twitter

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