Owner robbed at gunpoint and Model S stolen while supercharging in Barstow...

[Atebit]

Glad the OP is OK.

I leave my rear view camera on to help guard against someone sneaking up from behind. Late nite/early morning supercharging is a necessity on my trips. At a minimum, bright lights & surveillance cameras at the Sc would be at least a deterrent. The SC is already connected to Tesla's NOC (SCOC?); a couple of motion-activated AVC-encoded feeds riding on that link would be peanuts.

+1 for the "Space Odyssey"-style explosive bolt charging cable release. Another cool center console Panic Button feature could set off a whoop-whoop klaxon in the SC equipment shelter & call 911 from a landline for exact geolocating.

I'm sure ADT would love to win that contract. "INTRUDER, THE POLICE HAVE BEEN CALLED. LEAVE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY!!"

 

[Rheazombi]

I've charged at Barstow dozens of times and up till now, never had occasion to worry.

My advice if you arrive in the dark:

1. Go to Chili's (open until 1130PM).

2. After 1130PM, go to the Country Inn and Suites (open 24 hours a day). The Lobby is ~300ft from the furthest Supercharger.

They are happy to let Tesla drivers use their restrooms.

Free internet.

And they have surveillance 24 hours/day inside and outside their lobby.

This is probably the best advice in the thread. You shouldn't have to sit in a car all alone for an hour.

Although a car jacking can still of course happen anywhere, anytime.

 

[J1mbo]

And so many people say I'm nuts for carrying firearms (LEGALLY).....

Curious - how would that have helped in this situation?

 

[tonybelding]

Curious - how would that have helped in this situation?

uhh... Is that some kind of trick question?

 

[J1mbo]

No. We don't carry sidearms in the UK. If you are being robbed at gunpoint, does having your own sidearm help? Just curious as to how that would play out.

 

[JRP3]

I believe if you look at the statistics owning a gun makes you less safe, and you're more likely to shoot yourself or someone you know than an actual criminal. So there's that.

 

[CHGolferJim]

Suggestion to Tesla: Send an OTA software fix so that only the driver's handle auto-presents, and driver must push a fob button to open the other doors.

 

[callmesam]

This is probably the best advice in the thread. You shouldn't have to sit in a car all alone for an hour.

Although a car jacking can still of course happen anywhere, anytime.

Yea, but it doesn't have the benefit of allowing people to vent about how more guns will solve this problem.:wink:

 

[dsm363]

Mod note: Agree with Nigel. Please focus on this case and leave the politics of gun ownership to other forums. As much as you know you are right, you have about as good a chance changing someone's mind as convincing a Tesla owner to sell their car to start rolling coal.

 

[a0128]

No. We don't carry sidearms in the UK. If you are being robbed at gunpoint, does having your own sidearm help? Just curious as to how that would play out.

Here is how it would play out; while you are fumbling to get your gun out of your waistband or holster or some such thing you will panic and put a round in your inner thigh. Assuming you were lucky enough to have missed your femoral artery, you will have dropped your gun and be writhing on the ground in extreme pain. The carjacker will pickup your gun and put a round in your gut. He will then grab your FOB (assuming you didn't leave it on the center console), jump in your car and drive away, leaving you to bleed out.

When someone says "I carry a gun to prevent something like this from happening to me" I call BS. I am not anti-gun (in fact I am an NRA member), but unless you spend at least 10 hours a week at the range, have gone through situational training in close quarters combat, and actually have shot a human before, you will likely fail at defending yourself and end up being on the losing end of any such encounter. Trust me when I tell you the ability to pull the trigger in an extreme stress situation when your life is in danger is not something that comes easy. This is not hunting a deer, or an elk, this is being able to point a gun at another human and pull the trigger.

The carjacker has nothing to lose. The criminal who shoots another individual has nothing to lose, has no remorse, no feelings, just an animal instinct for survival.

Sorry for the thread-jacking rant, but I have a problem with people who think a gun is going to solve an immediate threat issue. If someone wants to jack your car, hand them the keys and get out of the way. Your car is replaceable, you are not.

 

[tga]

Convenient that she has to take the FOB out of her pocket and press a button, or press a button on the handle, or pull her handle twice? How is that more convenient than just walking up and getting in?

My first employer out of college was a small tech startup located in a "tech incubator" built in a converted factory building that was in a really bad part of the city. How bad? The abandoned, boarded up high-rise projects next door were torn down a year or two after I started, due to squatters, assaults, murders, and drug sales/use in them. After the buildings were torn down, we had a great view of a school yard on the other side of the old projects.

I came into work one day to find a bullet hole in the 4th floor window, and a chunk of the door frame blown out (at head height). We sighted down the door frame and window hole, and it was apparent that (stray?) shot came from the newly-visible school yard (BTW, years prior, when the projects were lived in, the windows of the building had been painted over, because workers were occasionally being shot at).

The parking lot was across the street from the building. The lot was fenced in, and had an electromagnet lock on the gate. The guard at the front desk would buzz you through the gate.

During business hours it wasn't so bad. Things did get a little sketchy later at night (I often stayed late on Fridays to run backups and wait out traffic).

That being said, I would never, ever, want to park a car in an area like that did not offer the option of "driver door unlock only." In fact, I wouldn't even want the doors unlocking as I approached (I'll unlock with the fob with one hand while I have the other hand on the door handle, thank you very much).

So yes, not auto-unlocking and presenting the 3 passenger handles is a very desirable option for some people.

 

[Lump]

Fortunately I charge at Barstow during the day, but if I ever have to be there after 10:00 pm I will be armed, while having a gun isn't likely to prevent or stop a crime it doesn't do any good leaving at home in a risky environment.

I would guess a minimum of $5000 can be taken from an owner, between cash, jewelry & electronics, its an easy quick crime.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

This is not hunting a deer, or an elk, this is being able to point a gun at another human and pull the trigger.

I would find it much easier to point a gun at a criminal who wants to do me harm than an innocent and majestic animal that has no intention of harming me.

- - - Updated - - -

I would guess a minimum of $5000 can be taken from an owner, between cash, jewelry & electronics, its an easy quick crime.

I guess I must be really poor! lol

 

[Lump]

iPhone, watch, wedding ring, laptop, iPad, gambling cash....easy to get to $5k when going to Vegas & thats without the wife :wink:

 

[TEG]

Fortunately I charge at Barstow during the day, but if I ever have to be there after 10:00 pm I will be armed, while having a gun isn't likely to prevent or stop a crime it doesn't do any good leaving at home in a risky environment.
I would guess a minimum of $5000 can be taken from an owner, between cash, jewelry & electronics, its an easy quick crime.

Don't forget that they could take your gun too. It would have been better to leave it at home if someone took it from you and used it for further nefarious deeds.

 

[NoMoGas]

iPhone, watch, wedding ring, laptop, iPad, gambling cash....easy to get to $5k when going to Vegas & thats without the wife :wink:

honestly I'd be more concerned about them taking the wife/daughter. Saftey is a real concern.

 

[Scotty]

I have a few concerns. I probably have used Superchargers for 90% of my electrical charging needs in my 14 weeks of ownership and almost 13,00 miles. Bartow is just one of many that presents an isolated dimly lit area.

1) I have mixed feelings about lighting and security. I prefer dimmer lighting when supercharging at night, should I wish to take a quick nap, but the bright lights may discourage these crimes of the moment. How about much brighter lights at the edge of the SC perimeter, and maybe motion activated lighting, which might allow an owner to more easily detect and become situationally aware of approaching pedestrians.

2) Encountering an armed criminal presents some very significant issues. Deterrence preferred, but how to mitigate the threat? How about Tesla incorporating video surveillance of the SC site (with offsite recording) and a PANIC button (with phone) linked to Tesla or law enforcement. If the panic button is pressed, Tesla could 'dial up' the video link, and look things over. Prominent signage about video surveillance would also help.... might be a deterrent. Certainly a help in identification and evidentiary use.

2) Give up the car, the FOB, phone, whatever the criminal wants. You want distance between between the criminal and a healthy you, and as soon as possible. I am not thinking Tesla will incorporate remote vehicle shutdown by their phone app.... Pissed off spouse shuts car down as their significant other is driving at 70mph.... How about having the vehicle shut down 2 or 3 minutes after leaving the 'scene of the crime'? Possible driver covert action. to initiate this mode.... pressing accel and brake pedals simultaneously, while pressing steering wheel thumbwheel switch(es) for a couple of seconds, and a really discrete icon showing this mode just activated..... maybe the avatar blinks twice or changed color....

3) An emergency jettison to unplug the power connector would be nice... might be too difficult to implement, and besides, as fast as the Tesla's are, they won't outrun a bullet from an armed and suddenly frustrated assailant.

4) How about Tesla moving forward with this? Tesla providing a route for input, industry thoughts, owner recommendations, law enforcement ideas and cooperation. Must be some good ideas out there.

Scotty

 

[bonnie]

There has been one reported instance. It doesn't seem like a raging problem. I'd file this one under 'life happens'.

I reported an instance with my Roadster at a J1772 about 3 1/2 years ago here ... and never occurred to me to ask that charging sites put in better security for the future. It was also filed as a life experience and something I learned from.

 

[ecarfan]

There has been one reported instance. It doesn't seem like a raging problem. I'd file this one under 'life happens'.

Thank you Bonnie for being the voice of reason.

By the way, I bet every day dozens of people across America are robbed late at night at gas stations. It's going to happen at Superchargers too.

I'm sorry it happened to the OP and I'm glad he's okay. While there may be some things Tesla can do to reduce the likelihood of such events, realistically there is nothing Tesla can do if someone points a gun at you and takes your key fob and drives off.

Giving the smartphone app the capability to shut down the car in a safe manner is certainly worth considering. The user should be required to enter their Tesla account password.

 

[AnOutsider]

Thank you Bonnie for being the voice of reason.

By the way, I bet every day dozens of people across America are robbed late at night at gas stations. It's going to happen at Superchargers too. I'm sorry it happened to the OP and I'm glad he's okay.

Like this one of a woman being made to get into her own trunk at an ATM

New Video Released of Arlington Kidnapping | NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth