LVMPD Sheriff Kevin McMahill holds a press conference on January 1, 2025, following the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck. McMahill credits Elon Musk for quickly helping law enforcement.
Law enforcement officials had help from technology in their investigation into the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck loaded with fireworks and explosive materials. Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference the day of the explosion that Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla aided the investigation using videos taken at Tesla charging stations, as well as the city’s License Plate Reader (LPR) system.
“I have to thank Elon Musk. Specifically, he gave us a number of additional insights into how the vehicle was locked down after it exploded due to the nature of the force of the explosion, as well as its ability to capture all the elements “The video of Tesla charging stations across the country and he sent it directly to us, so I appreciate his help on that,” McMahill explained.
“The first indication that this vehicle was here in Las Vegas came from a license plate reader, so the technology was very helpful to us in solving that problem,” he added.
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A Tesla Cybertruck exploded in flames outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday, killing the driver and injuring seven others. (EyePress News/Shutterstock/Shutterstock)
Retired NYPD Detective Paul Mauro told FOX Business in an interview that LPRs have “grown to the point where most, if not all, cities have license plate readers scattered around the city for various reasons.
“With Musk on board, with a prosecutor writing the quick arrest warrants that you need, except in an emergency to try to figure out if there’s another terrorist attack here, are they related, etc. , you will get all this information very quickly, very quickly,” he explained.
“Between that and the LPRs these days, you should be able to put together a pretty accurate and comprehensive travel path regarding this guy and I’m sure that’s what they’re working on now and I’m sure that they probably got most of it already,” Mauro said.
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Video taken by Tesla charging station cameras was provided to law enforcement investigating the explosion. (Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images / Getty Images)
McMahill said at a news conference Thursday that authorities have pieced together the route taken by the suspect, Matthew Livelsberger, who was inside the Cybertruck loaded with explosives.
Livelsberger rented the Cybertruck in Denver on December 28. McMahill said from there, “We tracked his movements through Tesla charging stations to Monument, Colorado, on December 30. On December 31, the truck was loaded in Trinidad, Colorado. ; Las Vegas, New Mexico; and Albuquerque and Gallup, New Mexico. On January 1, the truck was charged in Holbrook, Flagstaff and Kingman, Arizona.
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The Cybertruck was loaded with explosive materials, including gasoline, camping fuel and fireworks. (EyePress News/Shutterstock/Shutterstock)
McMahill added that authorities are seeking to identify other people who may have used the charging stations at the same time in order to obtain additional video that can be used in the investigation.
The Cybertruck was also spotted by incoming LPR Las Vegas and technology was used to trace the path to the Trump International Hotel, where the explosion occurred. One person was killed and seven were injured in the explosion.
Musk and Tesla continue to contribute to the investigation, as McMahill noted Thursday that the company sent experts to try to extract video from the vehicle for help the investigation.
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“Many of you may be aware that Cybertrucks contain a considerable number of cameras. Again, Mr. Musk has sent a number of his aides who will arrive here this afternoon with the intention of trying to capture the part… that captured all of this from inside the truck,” McMahill said.
Alex Nitzberg of FOX Business contributed to this report.
