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Tesla says two Nevada journalists snuck into its factory and injured its employees

By
Kia Kokalitcheva
Kia Kokalitcheva
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By
Kia Kokalitcheva
Kia Kokalitcheva
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 13, 2015, 5:39 PM ET
A Tesla Motors Inc. Gallery And Service Center As Stock Rebounds
Supercharger stations stand at the Tesla Motors Inc. Gallery and Service Center in Paramus, New Jersey, U.S., on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014. Bloomberg via Getty Images

Journalists sometimes go to great lengths to obtain valuable information, but a couple of them may have crossed some lines on Friday.

According to a blog post from Tesla Motors (TSLA) on Tuesday, two journalists snuck into its Gigafactory in Nevada on Friday evening to take photos and look around the facilities before a security guard caught them. Long story short, the incident ended with two Tesla employees sustaining injuries and one arrest for felony assault with a deadly weapon.

The culprits were two journalists from the Reno Gazette-Journal, according to Tesla.

Late on Friday, a Tesla safety manager received noticed that two men were taking pictures on the factory’s premises and attempted to confront them. After a second safety manager arrived at the scene and they were asked to wait until the Sheriff’s department and safety management arrived, the two men got into their Jeep car. Then, this happened, according to Tesla:

As the Tesla employee attempted to record the license plate number on the rear bumper, the driver put it in reverse and accelerated into the Tesla employee, knocking him over, causing him to sustain a blow to the left hip, an approximate 2” bleeding laceration to his right forearm, a 3” bleeding laceration to his upper arm, and scrapes on both palms.

As the RGJ employees fled the scene, their Jeep struck the ATV that carried the two safety managers. When one of the safety managers dismounted the ATV and approached the Jeep, the driver of the Jeep accelerated into him, striking him in the waist.

The Sheriff’s department arrested and charged one of the employees with two counts of felony assault with a deadly weapon and told both journalists that they will be charged with trespassing, according to Tesla.

Fortune has reached out to the Reno Gazette-Journal and will update this story if we hear back.

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By Kia Kokalitcheva
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