LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A man is facing terrorism-related charges after police say he crashed his car through a gate at a solar plant outside Las Vegas and set his car on fire, extinguishing a large area, The 8 News Now Investigators have learned. .
Around 11:30 am Wednesday, Las Vegas Metro police responded to the solar plant on U.S. 93 north of Las Vegas Motor Speedway, sources told 8 News Now Investigators. Workers at the site say they found a car smoking in the generator pit.
The Mega Solar Array facility provides power to MGM facilities but is managed by a company called Invenergy.
The driver, later identified as Mohammad Mesmarian, 34, is accused of crashing into a fence and setting the car on fire. The vehicle was registered out of Idaho, documents said.
Police believe Mesmarian drove through the fence Tuesday afternoon after workers left for the day. It wasn’t until 12 a.m. Wednesday that the video allegedly shows Mesmarian setting the car on fire, documents said.
Mesmarian allegedly watched the car burn, sitting in the seat for about 15 minutes before driving off, documents said.
Investigators also believe Mesmarian took gasoline from his car to wire the transformer, 8 News Now Investigators said.
Investigators found an iPhone in the burned car with an account linked to Mesmarian, documents said. The police also found two laptops.
Police found Mesmarian at the campground Thursday — the day after the fire — in Boulder Beach on Lake Mead. It was not known how Mesmarian made it from the sun deck to Boulder City, 30 miles away.
“Mesmarian made it clear that he set fire to the Toyota Camry a few days ago,” police said. “Mesmarian stayed and burned the car at the Tesla solar plant and made a ‘future’ for himself.”
Metro Police said someone from Republic Services, which is located near the solar plant, called police on Wednesday about someone breaking the rules.
The police have noticed a number of recent attacks on power stations in recent months.
Mesmarian faces charges of committing an act of terrorism, burning, destroying or damaging real or personal property and escaping with a convicted felon.
No MGM location was affected by the incident.
A worker at the plant said the fire caused “extensive damage,” estimating it will take two years to receive the parts, police said. The damaged section remained closed due to the fire and the plant was not generating electricity, police said.
“Following the Mega Solar Array incident, workers at the site immediately notified the authorities and shut down the plant’s operations as a precaution in accordance with industry-standard safety rules,” an Invenergy spokesperson said, “No one was injured, and we are currently restoring full operation of the facility.”
Court officials said Mesmarian was wrong before his first court appearance on Friday. He did not come to be judged. Judge Danial Westmeyer denied bail.
Mesmarian was due in court on Tuesday.