Tesla Motors Inc., the electric-car maker, said it wants to study the remnants of a stolen Model S sedan that split in half and burned after a high-speed chase and collision in Los Angeles.
The company, led by Elon Musk, is working with Los Angeles police and fire officials investigating the incident that began early July 4 when an unidentified man stole the Tesla and led police on a high-speed chase. He later collided with several vehicles in West Hollywood and the car split into two parts when he crashed into a lightpole, triggering a battery fire, according to police reports. He was injured in the incident and was taken into custody.
“We’ve asked to take a look at the vehicle as soon as that’s possible,” Simon Sproule, a company spokesman, said in a phone interview. “There aren’t so many S’s involved in major crashes, and certainly not quite like this one, so we absolutely want to have a look to understand what happened.”
The Model S has a five-star rating for crashworthiness, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s highest designation.
