LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — A Las Vegas man was sentenced to five years in federal prison Wednesday after using a rifle and Molotov cocktails to destroy vehicles outside a local Tesla repair center last year.
According to a media release, U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey sentenced Paul Hyon Kim to 60 months behind bars followed by three years of supervised release. Federal prosecutors had asked for a 20-year prison sentence.
According to court records, Kim went to a Tesla Collision Center Las Vegas in the early morning hours of March 18, 2025, armed with a .300 Blackout AR-platform semiautomatic rifle. Investigators said he shot out two exterior security cameras, spray-painted the word “RESIST” in large capital letters across the main entrance doors, and fired multiple rounds into vehicles parked outside.
Officials say Kim then threw three Molotov cocktails into three separate Tesla vehicles. Two exploded while a third did not detonate.
In total, the DOJ says five vehicles were destroyed beyond repair before Kim fled the scene in his vehicle.
In February 2026, Kim pleaded guilty to two counts of arson of property used in interstate commerce, one count of attempted arson, and one count of unlawful possession of an unregistered firearm.
“The Department of Justice has been clear: anyone who participates in domestic terrorism will suffer severe legal consequences,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah said in a statement. “There is no place for violence as a means of resolving political differences in our democracy.”
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