Who is Daniel Clarke-Pounder, anti-Musk activist who set himself ablaze while attacking US Tesla charging station?

Daniel Clarke-Pounder, 24, ended up setting himself ablaze while setting fire to a South Carolina Tesla charging station.

Published on: Mar 19, 2025, 13:33:55 IST

By Sumanti Sen

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A 24-year-old man has been arrested for setting fire to a South Carolina Tesla charging station. Daniel Clarke-Pounder ended up setting himself on fire while carrying out the act of protest against Elon Musk.

Who is Daniel Clarke-Pounder, anti-Musk activist who set himself ablaze while attacking US Tesla charging station? (Charleston County Jail)

Clarke-Pounder burned down three EV chargers in a South Carolina parking lot, according to the New York Post. He even scrawled “f–k Trump” and “long live the Ukraine” at the parking lot.

Witnesses who saw Clarke-Pounder fleeing the North Charleston lot claimed he threw five Molotov cocktails, and one of them left him on fire, WCBD reported. According to an initial police report, witnesses said “that the suspect had accidentally caught their own back on fire while throwing the devices.”

Who is Daniel Clarke-Pounder?

Clarke-Pounder is a mechanic from James Island. He was arrested after cops issued a public appeal to help find him last week. It remains unclear how severely he was hurt.

“While we will defend the public’s right to peaceful protest, we will not hesitate to act when protest crosses the line into violence and mayhem,” Acting U.S. Attorney Brook B. Andrews said in a statement.

“These kinds of attacks have no place in our community. … We must remain united in our commitment to safety and respect for all, regardless of political differences,” Andrew added.

Clarke-Pounder, who was arraigned in federal court, faces a maximum of 20 years behind bars. He was previously arrested for a DUI in May 2023 after being found with an open alcohol container, and driving without insurance.

Tesla has been facing backlash in response to Musk’s work in President Donald Trump’s administration as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). While peaceful protests have been taking place, cases of violence have been reported too. Last week, a Colorado Tesla dealership was attacked with Molotov cocktails and the words “Nazi cars” were spray-painted on the building. In another incident, an anti-Musk man scrawled a swastika on a Cybertruck in New York.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sumanti Sen
Sumanti Sen covers everything that’s happening in the US, from politics to entertainment, but her expertise lies in covering crime news. She has comprehensively chronicled the Idaho student murders, the Laken Riley and Iryna Zarutska cases, and the killing of Charlie Kirk, among other incidents. Over the years, she has interviewed several victims/families of victims of crimes seeking justice. She digs up stories that might otherwise remain unheard, and does her bit to ensure that victims and survivors’ voices are heard. Sumanti’s many years of experience also include interviews with Hamas attack survivors and mental health experts, among others. Her coverage of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and interviews with survivors of the tragedy, coupled with her other works including the Titan submersible coverage, earned her the Digi Journo of the Quarter award during her first year at Hindustan Times. Sumanti actively tracks missing person cases in the United States, and peruses Reddit and other social media platforms to bring to light cases that frequently elude public attention. She has extensively covered the disappearances of Nancy Guthrie, Thomas Medlin, Beau Mann, and Sudiksha Konanki, among others. When not at work, you will either find her with her novels, or with her beloved rescue pooches.Read More

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