TeslaCam captures attempted carjacking in Jacksonville, Florida [Update]

A Jacksonville man is crediting his training as a U.S. Navy sailor and the acceleration of his Tesla for saving his life during an attempted car jacking last week. And it was all caught on TeslaCam.

Draper Younce was sitting in his Model 3 when a man comes running up to his window with a gun drawn, pointing it directly at the victim. Unfortunately no audio was recorded, but according to Younce the man was yelling at him to get out the car.

“He immediately said, ‘Get out of the car, get out of the car, I am taking your car’ … I saw my opportunity to escape, and I ducked to the right. I accelerated as hard as I could,” Younce told Action News Jax.

His opportunity to escape came at the moment the suspect reached to open the door. Clearly unaware of how Tesla door handles work, the suspect grabs at thin air, giving Younce the perfect opportunity to use the fact his car is always on to quickly pull away.

The suspect did fire his gun during the incident. Fortunately the bullet just missed Younce, leaving a bullet hole in the driver’s side of the Model 3.

Younce says he has spent 15 years in the military, 8 of them deployed overseas, and this is the first time he has been shot at. The video has been turned over to police to investigate.

UPDATE: The victim sent these images to Drive Tesla showing the damage to his Model 3. Younce tells us the bullet ended up lodged in the b pillar, just inches away from hitting from him.

He also tells us the suspect had an accomplice waiting for him in a nearby stolen car. After reviewing additional footage from his TeslaCam, it appears as though the suspects were following him before he pulled into the parking lot. Based on the footage, police have been able to arrest the driver of the stolen car, but are still looking for the shooting suspect.

Photo by Draper Younce

Photo by Draper Younce

You can check out the full video below.