A disturbing video circulating on social media shows a group of young Chicagoans attacking a Tesla while police watch nearby during a weekend “street takeover.”
The clip, which has garnered more than 20 million views on X as of Monday, captured a group of presumed teenagers punching and kicking the vehicle, which appeared to be trapped in an “out-of-control street takeover,” reported the New York Post.
The video shows the unruly teens posing on top of the white Tesla while flashing hand signs to the camera. The driver then lurches forward, sending the group off of the hood of the car and into a fury. They respond by beating the body of the car with their fists and feet.
The camera then pans to show other members of the large group committing dangerous drifting stunts in other cars off to the side, burning their tires on the pavement in the middle of traffic.
The scene that the camera pans back to is utter chaos. Screams can be heard as the electric vehicle attempts to escape the crowd, sending teens running and some to the ground. The cameraperson follows as members of the group run after the driver, who can be seen recording through the window.
Completely blocked in by other cars while teens rip off the side mirrors, the Tesla driver is forced to slam into other vehicles to get away from the danger.
Another angle of footage from the event shows that while police were on the scene, little was done to quell the crowd of troublemakers.
“Back up!” one officer can be heard telling people as they attempt to chase the Tesla on foot as it clumsily speeds away.
The camera then shows several other police officers standing by and watching.
A Chicago police spokeswoman told the New York Post that two 33-year-olds, a male and female, were “inside a vehicle at the above location when they were approached by several unknown individuals who began to damage the car while the victims remained inside” on Friday around midnight. “The male victim, who was the driver, attempted to flee with the vehicle, subsequently striking a sedan in the 200 block of North Lower Columbus Drive.”
No arrests or injuries have been reported.