An Israeli Settlement’s emergency squad member can confidently say that his Model 3 Performance saved his life.
The man, only identified as C, was on his way to an assembly point in the Settlements minutes after Hamas militants had crossed into the territory. He was driving his Model 3 Performance when around 15 members of Hamas and a Hamas-controlled Toyota truck recognized him and opened fire at a distance of around ten yards.
Hamas fighters were using Kalashnikovs and a truck-mounted machine gun to try and either stop the vehicle or blow it up. Shots rang into the frunk and trunk to try igniting the gas tank, but there was no explosion as the Tesla is an EV. C then took off, which resulted in a short chase out of an action movie.
Per Walla, here is C’s account:
They shot my tires, but the acceleration of the Tesla is amazing even in this situation, and the dual drive managed to keep me on the road. I quickly got away from them, but I realized that I had to get to the hospital as soon as possible… The tires started to crumble, but the dual drive balanced out the wheels, some of which were already on the rims. According to the app, I continued to drive at around 110 mph.
C made it to Barziliai Hospital in Ashkelon, where he is currently being treated for bullet wounds in his legs, hands and skull and shrapnel wounds. The Tesla took around 100 bullets, and the front window remained intact even with multiple shots. C noted that:
There is no part that didn’t take a lot of damage. It still drives if you press the pedal, but it seems to me that I should already be thinking about my next Tesla.
If anyone deserves a new Tesla, it has to be C, and even Elon chimed in on the story. Maybe he can hook up C with a new ride for when he gets out of the hospital.
Glad he made it!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 14, 2023
