New York, May 14 (IANS)| An Indian-origin man has been arrested in California for performing a stunt to show off his Tesla car. He had illegally given an ‘autodrive’ stunt on his Tesla car. This information was given by media reports. The California Highway Patrol said it arrested him in Silicon Valley on Tuesday and confiscated his car. He was found to be driving an electric car seated in the back seat in violation of laws that require the driver to be in the driver’s seat in emergency situations.
According to police, 25-year-old Sharma was kept in jail overnight and released after he was accused of rash driving. Officials said that they had received several complaints from people, in which the driver’s seat was vacant. Police had posted pictures of the car with an empty driver’s seat and asked anyone to call them. Sharma posted himself in a social media recording and allowed the car to go on “autopilot” while in the backseat.
Elon Musk-built Telsa electric cars are equipped with computers, cameras, sensors and GPS to allow people to self-drive. However, the law mandates that Tesla and other cars operating on “autopilot” have a driver behind the wheel for safety. Last month, a Tesla car crashed into a tree while on the road in Texas and caught fire, killing both people, neither of them sitting in the driver’s seat.
There have been at least nine fatal accidents since Tesla hit the road in 2015. Police said this was the second time Sharma was caught doing stunts and he was also charged last month. KTVU Fox TV station reported that as soon as he came out of prison, he bought another Tesla and repeated the stunt on Wednesday.
The station reported that he had come to a meeting with his reporter in the car on autopilot and was in the back seat. He told the reporter that he had bought a new car, “Yes, I am rich (expletive). I am very rich.”
The confiscated car, like a Tesla Model 3 car, is worth more than US$40,000. Digital Media Vice, which described the man as a “rich guy”, said he had posted photos of himself doing “everything from stashing cash in balloons to throwing thousands of dollars into hosting cash sweepstakes.” He told Vice in a 2013 interview that he paid $100,000 in these stunts.
New York, May 14 (IANS)| An Indian-origin man has been arrested in California for performing a stunt to show off his Tesla car. He had illegally given an ‘autodrive’ stunt on his Tesla car. This information was given by media reports. The California Highway Patrol said it arrested him in Silicon Valley on Tuesday and confiscated his car. He was found to be driving an electric car seated in the back seat in violation of laws that require the driver to be in the driver’s seat in emergency situations.
According to police, 25-year-old Sharma was kept in jail overnight and released after he was accused of rash driving. Officials said that they had received several complaints from people, in which the driver’s seat was vacant. Police had posted pictures of the car with an empty driver’s seat and asked anyone to call them. Sharma posted himself in a social media recording and allowed the car to go on “autopilot” while in the backseat.
Elon Musk-built Telsa electric cars are equipped with computers, cameras, sensors and GPS to allow people to self-drive. However, the law mandates that Tesla and other cars operating on “autopilot” have a driver behind the wheel for safety. Last month, a Tesla car crashed into a tree while on the road in Texas and caught fire, killing both people, neither of them sitting in the driver’s seat.
There have been at least nine fatal accidents since Tesla hit the road in 2015. Police said this was the second time Sharma was caught doing stunts and he was also charged last month. KTVU Fox TV station reported that as soon as he came out of prison, he bought another Tesla and repeated the stunt on Wednesday.
The station reported that he had come to a meeting with his reporter in the car on autopilot and was in the back seat. He told the reporter that he had bought a new car, “Yes, I am rich (expletive). I am very rich.”
The confiscated car, like a Tesla Model 3 car, is worth more than US$40,000. Digital Media Vice, which described the man as a “rich guy”, said he had posted photos of himself doing “everything from stashing cash in balloons to throwing thousands of dollars into hosting cash sweepstakes.” He told Vice in a 2013 interview that he paid $100,000 in these stunts.
New York, May 14 (IANS)| An Indian-origin man has been arrested in California for performing a stunt to show off his Tesla car. He had illegally given an ‘autodrive’ stunt on his Tesla car. This information was given by media reports. The California Highway Patrol said it arrested him in Silicon Valley on Tuesday and confiscated his car. He was found to be driving an electric car seated in the back seat in violation of laws that require the driver to be in the driver’s seat in emergency situations.
According to police, 25-year-old Sharma was kept in jail overnight and released after he was accused of rash driving. Officials said that they had received several complaints from people, in which the driver’s seat was vacant. Police had posted pictures of the car with an empty driver’s seat and asked anyone to call them. Sharma posted himself in a social media recording and allowed the car to go on “autopilot” while in the backseat.
Elon Musk-built Telsa electric cars are equipped with computers, cameras, sensors and GPS to allow people to self-drive. However, the law mandates that Tesla and other cars operating on “autopilot” have a driver behind the wheel for safety. Last month, a Tesla car crashed into a tree while on the road in Texas and caught fire, killing both people, neither of them sitting in the driver’s seat.
There have been at least nine fatal accidents since Tesla hit the road in 2015. Police said this was the second time Sharma was caught doing stunts and he was also charged last month. KTVU Fox TV station reported that as soon as he came out of prison, he bought another Tesla and repeated the stunt on Wednesday.
The station reported that he had come to a meeting with his reporter in the car on autopilot and was in the back seat. He told the reporter that he had bought a new car, “Yes, I am rich (expletive). I am very rich.”
The confiscated car, like a Tesla Model 3 car, is worth more than US$40,000. Digital Media Vice, which described the man as a “rich guy”, said he had posted photos of himself doing “everything from stashing cash in balloons to throwing thousands of dollars into hosting cash sweepstakes.” He told Vice in a 2013 interview that he paid $100,000 in these stunts.
New York, May 14 (IANS)| An Indian-origin man has been arrested in California for performing a stunt to show off his Tesla car. He had illegally given an ‘autodrive’ stunt on his Tesla car. This information was given by media reports. The California Highway Patrol said it arrested him in Silicon Valley on Tuesday and confiscated his car. He was found to be driving an electric car seated in the back seat in violation of laws that require the driver to be in the driver’s seat in emergency situations.
According to police, 25-year-old Sharma was kept in jail overnight and released after he was accused of rash driving. Officials said that they had received several complaints from people, in which the driver’s seat was vacant. Police had posted pictures of the car with an empty driver’s seat and asked anyone to call them. Sharma posted himself in a social media recording and allowed the car to go on “autopilot” while in the backseat.
Elon Musk-built Telsa electric cars are equipped with computers, cameras, sensors and GPS to allow people to self-drive. However, the law mandates that Tesla and other cars operating on “autopilot” have a driver behind the wheel for safety. Last month, a Tesla car crashed into a tree while on the road in Texas and caught fire, killing both people, neither of them sitting in the driver’s seat.
There have been at least nine fatal accidents since Tesla hit the road in 2015. Police said this was the second time Sharma was caught doing stunts and he was also charged last month. KTVU Fox TV station reported that as soon as he came out of prison, he bought another Tesla and repeated the stunt on Wednesday.
The station reported that he had come to a meeting with his reporter in the car on autopilot and was in the back seat. He told the reporter that he had bought a new car, “Yes, I am rich (expletive). I am very rich.”
The confiscated car, like a Tesla Model 3 car, is worth more than US$40,000. Digital Media Vice, which described the man as a “rich guy”, said he had posted photos of himself doing “everything from stashing cash in balloons to throwing thousands of dollars into hosting cash sweepstakes.” He told Vice in a 2013 interview that he paid $100,000 in these stunts.
