Attacking Tesla is Tilting at Windmills

by Brent E. Zepke, Esq.

The more than 50 reported attacks on Tesla cars and trucks caused me to wonder what type of person would attack an inanimate object?

My search for an example in literature took me back to the novel Don Quixote, published in 1606. This classic novel features the story of the character Don Quixote attacking an inanimate object, a windmill, in a heroic, but misguided, attempt to help others.

The author Miguel De Cervantes, born in 1547 in Alcala de Henares, Spain, probably was inspired by his own personality, experiences, and situation.

Cervantes’ personality is illustrated by his defending his ship the Marquesa from attack. After his left hand became permanently maimed, instead of complaining, he heroically said “It was for the greater glory of my right hand.”

His experiences included being sold into slavery to a Greek renegade in Algiers after his ship was captured by Barbary Corsairs in 1575. Cervantes' heroic, but misguided, attempts to escape were recognized and rewarded by the Viceroy of Algiers buying him and remitting his sentence.

Cervantes' first novel, The Galatea, was not a financial success, so required that he work at a government collection post; unfortunately, an agent he had entrusted with his collections absconded and Cervantes was jailed.

While in jail he used his experiences to create a series of humorously bizarre adventures for his character Don Quixote, including attacking a windmill.

With hopefully a touch of humor, let’s compare Don Quixote’s attacking windmills and the March 24, 2025, attacks on a Tesla by Chadd Ritenbaugh.

Comparisons

Don Quixote was described as an old man, which back then would include being 55 years old, when he attacked a windmill; Chadd Ritenbaugh was 55 when he allegedly attacked the Tesla.

Quixote traveled to la Mancha where he encountered an inanimate object – a windmill, that he perceived was a threatening “monstrous giant.” Ritenbaugh traveled to a Planet Fitness where he encountered an inanimate object – a Tesla – that he apparently perceived as a threat.

Quixote wanted to “free the land of their cruel ruler.” Ritenbaugh apparently wanted to harm Elon Musk, and perhaps President Donald Trump.

Quixote sat tall on his horse, grasped his lance, and prepared to help people. Ritenbaugh reportedly slid low in his Lexus, grasped his key, and prepared to harm the owner of the Tesla.

Quixote attacked the windmill, which action became the English idiom tilting at windmills meaning attacking imaginary enemies. Ritenbaugh may have also tilted at windmills since the Tesla was an imaginary enemy.

Quixote lost his fight with the blades of the windmill before riding away. Ritenbaugh is charged with “keying” a Nazi like swastika on the Tesla, and then going into Planet Fitness before driving away.

Harming Tesla

Harming, referred to as vandalizing, vehicles by firebombing dealerships is a form of tilting at windmills, since these vehicles are inanimate objects. However, sometimes there will be more than just financial harm as happened to Abigail Gill.

In Kansas, Abigail Gill has a Tesla because it is easier to drive for the 18 year old whose spinal muscular atrophy causes her to use a wheelchair. On March 20, Abigail parked and entered a restaurant in her wheelchair for a family meal. The 30 year old Jonathan F. Erhart was seating at the table next to Abigail where he could see her wheelchair. It is charged that during his meal he got up and walked to the parking lot where the camera of Abigail’s Tesla recorded his keying her Tesla before returning to finish his meal.

As inevitably happens, the financial harm will also include physical harm.

In Idaho, 70 year old Christopher Talbot drove into a crowd at a Tesla dealership because he apparently believed there were too many supporters of Musk.

In Flagstaff, Arizona a man forced a 61 year old woman to stop her Tesla so he could punch her face.

Vandals/assaulters

The ages 55, 30, and 70 were listed to illustrate that these were not the acts of immature men.

Ritenbaugh was charged with criminal mischief, harassment, and disorderly conduct and released on $25,000 bail.

Erhart was charged with one count of criminal damage to property and can be sentenced to five to 17 months in prison if convicted.

Talbot was charged with aggerated battery.

The police are searching for the assaulter in Flagstaff.

Victims

The obvious costs to victims are the financial ones. Abigail’s repair estimate is $17,000. Comprehensive insurance coverage, minus any deductible, can cover your car getting keyed, or tires slashed, windows’ broken, and other defacing, such as in Florida where Yamaris Marero (a woman) is charged with using a large wad of chewing gum to do $3,000 damage to a Tesla door.

Hopefully the insurance company will not total their cars as happened to me when a Tesla rammed my Jag that was parked in a parking lot on Anacapa Street.

The less obvious cost is forcing the victims to spend the only asset they cannot replace: time. Time to deal with insurance companies, obtaining estimates and repairs and transportation during the process.

The financial, emotional, and time lost is far greater for the victims than it is for the perpetrators.

Conclusion

The fictional character Don Quixote’s objective was to help people. The all too real objective of all “Tesla vigilantes” is to harm people.

The novel Don Quixote ends with Quixote proclaiming “This is not the end of the road,” which it also may not be for Ritenbaugh, et al, unless the cost to the victims is reflected in the punishment to the perpetrators, perhaps by making such attacks on a Tesla the equivalent of an attack on a person. Consider that when confronted by the owner of the Tesla he is being charged with damaging, Ritenbaugh said “I have nothing against your car…or against you. Obviously, I have something against Elon Musk.”

Did the 55 year old not understand that Musk no longer owned the Tesla?

The spirit of Don Quixote’s tilting at windmills rides again through the actions of Ritenbaugh et al in attacking an imaginary enemy.