A Louisiana man has been arrested for allegedly lying about being hit by a Tesla.
Arthur Bates Jr., 47, didn’t know he was being recorded by a Tesla’s internal camera when he allegedly lied to police, claiming he was hit by the vehicle. Bates was in a busy parking lot in Slidell, a city near New Orleans, when he claims he was hit by a reversing Tesla.
The incident occurred last Friday, and police say there’s an entire video showing Bates faked getting hurt. After allegedly being hit by the car, Bates called the police saying he had aches and pain in his legs, neck, and back. Bates says once the driver hit him, the car took off.
But, when the police caught up with the driver, they said Bates jumped behind the car on purpose. Come to find out, the driver was telling the truth. What Bates didn’t know is the Tesla was equipped with multiple cameras that recorded the whole incident.
“When Slidell Police officers reviewed the Tesla’s video footage, it became apparent that Bates was lying and staged the entire event,” police said in a statement.
Bates ended up admitting to the lies when police showed him the footage. Police arrested Gates for falsifying a police report, The New York Post reports.
