California police have arrested a man for riding in the backseat of a Tesla Model 3 while the EV’s Autopilot system was enabled.
The man, 25-year-old Param Sharma, was charged with reckless driving and disobeying a police officer on Monday after multiple 911 calls were made about an individual sitting in the rear of a Tesla with no one in the driver’s seat. The car was traveling on Interstate 80 across the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.
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Newsweek reports that California Highway Patrol spotted the car and while pulling it over, noted that Sharma could be seen climbing from the backseat into the driver’s seat. Sharma was charged and the Tesla was towed from the scene as an investigation continues.
The 25-year-old has been previously cited for similar behavior on April 27 and after footage of him sitting in the back seat of the Model 3 hit YouTube last week, local authorities confirmed they were investigating the case.
Sharma gained some fame on Instagram back in 2014 after posting photos of himself posing with jewelry, cash, and exotic cars. In 2014, he was handed a 90-day sentence for selling a stolen iPhone on Craigslist. He continues to post on Instagram and just a couple of days ago, even posted a video of himself riding in the back of the Model 3 while reading a news article about himself and his reckless stunts. He can be seen resting his foot on the steering wheel so the Autopilot thinks there is someone in the driver’s seat.
