Gary Zhou 
Some members of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) tend to be learning about Tesla’s built-in security features, such as Sentry Mode, which enables vehicles to capture videos from their cameras in order to continuously track their surroundings. This was unquestionably the case in a December incident involving slashed tires, vandalism, and what appears to be a racially motivated assault against a church.
FBI Special Agent Casey Anderson detailed the circumstances that led to the destruction of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Massachusetts in an affidavit dated April 15, 2021. Dushko Vulchev, a 44-year-old Maine resident and naturalized US citizen from Bulgaria, is the suspect in the case. According to the affidavit of an FBI investigator, Vulchev had previously broken the law, having been accused of assaulting a foreign official in 2015 and a number of crimes including domestic abuse attack in 2017.
The MLK Church was devastated by a series of fires in December 2020, one of which completely destroyed the structure. The first of these fires occurred on December 13, when firefighters were called to put out a blaze behind the church. A vehicle’s tires were cut two miles away from the church on the same day. The tires of a BMW parked 1.5 miles from the MLK church and a Tesla parked less than a mile from the church were slashed the next day. The Tesla’s owner discovered that one of the vehicle’s wheels was also missing.
On December 15, 2020, at 6:32 p.m., another fire broke out behind the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Presbyterian Church. The Arson and Bomb Squad of the Springfield Police Department (SPD) investigated the fire and quickly concluded that it had been started on purpose. A second fire in the church was registered at 11:03 p.m. on the same day. According to the SFD’s inquiry, the fire was “intentionally set to eventually involve the structure” of the church.
The situation remained relatively calm until December 27, when a Dodge Charger’s tires were slashed just 400-500 feet from the MLK Church. The American International College campus police announced a new fire at the MLK Church at 5:06 a.m. the next day. This time, the fire began just outside the basement side door and spread across the first floor of the church. The fire effectively destroyed the church, and the SPD determined that it was set on purpose after an investigation.
The case’s investigators were able to acquire many video clips that were important to the investigation. A gray Chevy Cruze pulled up into the same parking lot as the car that was attacked in the first tire slashing incident on December 13, according to video from the City of Springfield. The car was discovered to be registered to Vulchev, the suspect. Later that day, the perpetrator was caught on camera crossing the street in the direction of the MLK Community Center. A gray Chevy Cruze was also seen circling the Martin Luther King Jr. Church.
The next day, when the BMW tire slashing incident occurred, city video footage captured Vulchev’s Chevy Cruze once more. A while male matching Vulchev’s height, gait, and clothing was spotted approaching the BMW, according to the FBI agent’s affidavit. A Tesla was the next victim of the suspect’s tire slashing later that day. The special agent didn’t just have a distant shot of a man entering a car this time. Thanks to Sentry Mode, authorities were able to get a good shot of Vulchev while he was slashing and stealing the Tesla’s tires and stealing a wheel. The suspect was also caught on camera loading the stolen goods into his car, thanks to Tesla’s built-in cameras.
In his affidavit, Special Agent Casey Anderson discussed his experiences with Teslas and their built-in cameras. “Based on my training and experience and this investigation, I am aware that the Tesla referenced above is equipped with cameras at various points around the body. ATF Special Agent Marc Maurino (“SA Maurino”) and I have reviewed video footage retrieved from the Tesla showing an individual that I can identify as Vulchev, based on my observation of Vulchev during the Vulchev PPD Interview.”
Video footage from the Tesla shows Vulchev crouching near the Tesla and removing the wheels with a tire iron from a close distance. Vulchev was also seen taking one of the Tesla’s wheels and putting it in the trunk of his car in additional Tesla video footage. In the video, Vulchev’s face is clearly visible. According to the agent’s affidavit, Vulchev was dressed in grey trousers and a dark-colored sweatshirt, Adidas three-stripe trainers, a black hat with two grey lines, and light-colored work gloves.
Vulchev and his car were seen in the aftermath of the MLK Church fires and subsequent tire slashing accidents.
A complaint about a vehicle driving erratically was submitted to authorities on December 30, 2020. When the license plate of the vehicle in question was given, it was decided that it belonged to Vulchev. The suspect’s car was pulled over by police on suspicion of erratic driving and potential ties to the multiple tire slashing incidents. Local authorities contacted FBI Supervisory Special Agent of the Springfield Resident Agency Matthew Fontaine as soon as they learned of the continuing federal investigation into the MLK Church fires.
As Special Agent Fontaine arrived at the scene of the stop, the FBI agent discovered that the perpetrator had been living in his car for quite some time. Outside, the FBI agent spoke with the suspect for about eight minutes, and Fontaine instantly noticed that Vulchev was wearing the sneakers that Tesla’s Sentry Mode had clearly captured. The suspect was initially released by PPD police, but he was arrested the next day for his involvement in several tire slashing accidents and the fires at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Presbyterian Church.
The FBI and ATF searched Vulchev’s vehicle on January 4, 2021, and discovered a disk, a hard drive, and multiple USB storage devices. Vulchev’s surprising racially charged position against non-white citizens was uncovered by a computer search. This was evident in Vulchev’s messages to an ex-girlfriend, who has a lifetime restraining order against him. The messages included multiple insults directed at Muslims and blacks. Vulchev’s obvious hatred of non-whites was evident in a letter to his ex-girlfriend in which he expressed his displeasure with the race of ABC’s The Bachelorette. A search of the suspect’s phone turned up images of a handgun, a picture of Adolf Hitler in an Adidas tracksuit, and a “White Lives Matter” mural, among other things.
With these considerations in mind, FBI Special Agent Casey Anderson said that there is probable cause to suspect that Vulchev damaged religious property in violation of 18 USC 247(c) and (d)(3), as well as the use of fire to commit a federal crime in violation of USC 844(h) (1). Vulchev is still in state custody, according to a press release from the US Department of Justice, and is scheduled to appear in federal court in Springfield at a later date.
FBI Special Agent Casey Anderson’s complete affidavit could be accessed below.
