Woman reveals £50,000 family Tesla had to be written off after thugs posing as policemen smashed it ‘while trying to hijack cannabis from a van parked next to it’
- Three men repeatedly rammed into a white Peugeot in Farnborough, Hampshire
- Paola Bolletta-Bailey says her family’s Tesla was also written off by the thugs
- The men were driving a black Land Rover decked with flashing blue police lights
- Incident caused irreparable damage to Tesla’s internal structure and electrics
A woman has revealed how her family’s £50,000 Tesla was written off by a group of thugs posing as police officers who smashed it while ramming a van parked next to it.
Paola Bolletta-Bailey says their five-year-old Model 3 was smashed when a Land Rover repeatedly smashed into nearby van outside a B&Q store in Farnborough, Hampshire, as part of an attempted cannabis hijack last month.
Footage filmed just metres away from the incident showed a black vehicle decked with flashing blue police lights ramming into a white Peugeot van again and again in front of shocked onlookers at the retail park.
Mrs Bolletta-Bailey says the Tesla, her husband’s dream car, has since been towed away by the insurers and written off. They are now desperately waiting for news of a settlement.
Paola Bolletta-Bailey says their five-year-old Model 3 was smashed when a Land Rover repeatedly smashed into a van
The impact of the incident cause irreparable damage to the car’s internal structure and electric points.
The suspension and wheel alignment were also smashed, requiring the removal of the motor and battery.
While she was disappointed the car could not be repaired, Tesla owners say their vehicles are written off easily due to high bodyshop repairs.
She said: ‘It was scary when my husband called to say he and the other shoppers had been locked in the B&Q store as a precaution as ‘something was going on in the car park’.
‘It was obviously very sad and upsetting for us about our car.I guess we should thank the fact nobody got hurt. They didn’t seem to be bothered by the fact that members of the public were filming them.
‘It was parked there by my husband…he was in the store and those people in the white van must have dumped the car right there. He parked just outside the exit. It wasn’t even an isolated parking spot
‘Thank Goodness nobody was in the car, my husband was in the store and saw the last smash ‘live’. The insurance took the car away and we still haven’t received a settlement figure.’
Hampshire Police said officers seized a large quantity of cannabis from the back of the Peugeot following the attempted raid at around 5.35pm on December 6.
Footage showed a black vehicle decked with flashing blue police lights ramming into a white Peugeot van
In the footage, a bogus police vehicle is seen ploughing into the van, causing damage to other nearby vehicles
They also stressed that the three men inside the Land Rover were not police officers and detectives have launched an investigation into the incident.
Mrs Bolletta-Bailey added: ‘It that is true it is a miracle no one got run over as it is normally very busy with shoppers being one of the the main car parks for Farnborough town.
‘Luckily, we were not in the car and our dog was not left in the car…not sure it would have made a difference to those people as from the footage they only had one thing in their mind: open the door of that white van.
‘We are still really angry about what happened and hope that other people that were able to make videos on the day will continue to reach out to the police.’
In the footage, a bogus police vehicle is seen ploughing into the van, causing damage to other nearby vehicles.
Two men were inside the white van at the time, one of whom was almost crushed between the vehicles as they attempted to escape.
Meanwhile, the three thugs in the Land Rover continued to try to get into the van before also giving up and fleeing the scene.
Another vehicle was damaged in the incident, as well as car park bollards outside the DIY store.
Chief Inspector Emma Hart, District Commander for Hart and Rushmoor, said: ‘Three men, who were inside the Land Rover, were reportedly impersonating police officers. The Land Rover had blue lights on the vehicle.
‘We would like to stress the men inside the vehicle were not police officers and detectives have launched an investigation.
‘Following the collisions, the men exited the Land Rover and attempted to gain entry to the Peugeot, but were unsuccessful and fled the scene.
‘Officers attended the scene and a large quantity of cannabis was seized from the back of the Peugeot.’
Advertisement
DailyMail
