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Netizens have reacted to reports of an anonymous donor giving away 10 Cybertrucks to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD). Originally introduced as a concept vehicle in 2019, the Tesla Cybertruck started manufacturing in 2023. The trademark features of the car include its low-polygon modeling and superior safety rating.
During a recent State of the Department address by LVMPD Sheriff Kevin McMahill, he announced the integration of the new fleet into their armory, as per Fox5 Vegas. It will also include a specially manufactured SWAT vehicle.
Furthermore, McMahill announced that the new vehicles came from a "very generous donation from an individual." He also claimed that they were bought after the allegedly planned attack outside Trump International Hotel on January 1, where a Cybertruck exploded. Reportedly, it only caused the death of the prime suspect, Matthew Livelsberger.
Referring to the incident, McMahill inferred that the "cop inside will be safe no matter what" and described the vehicle as a "tremendous recruitment tool."
Soon after the address, various pages on X started sharing news about LVMPD's new additions. Users expressed their views, with @jack_fletcher25 comparing the vehicle to a RoboCop.
"Cybertrucks patrolling Vegas? RoboCop era officially begins," wrote the netizen.
"Now the Las Vegas Raiders can get arrested in style," quipped another.
"High speed chase and you see a cybertruck. Head up the mountain full speed. Tesla outta juice half way to the top," commented another user on X.
"Now we will just need them to be on "On Patrol Live" on REELZ channel with these and the world will be complete!" a person tweeted.
Another user posed a question on the charging times of the EVs, writing:
"It'll be interesting to see the data on how LVMPD deals with charging time vs time on the road when the temps heat up and the ac stays on full time."
"I don’t remember anyone asking the tax payers if they would like their money spent on this expensive equipment," commented a user.
"The #1 issue with policing over the past 15 years is that your friendly neighborhood officer went from walking Main Street preventing crime to waiting in the shadows in a stealth vehicle meant for war," claimed an individual.
Some other reactions on X read:
"Personally I think that the tesla truck looks terrible. But in this shot for the police I bet it is the winner for the next decade," a user commented.
"Welcome to the dystopian nightmare every science fiction movie over the past 30 years has warned us about. Congratulations Elon, on helping to usher in all of the worst parts of those movies. We really appreciate it." argued another.
"All police departments should switch to these tbh. A lot safer for the cops with the bulletproof windows and advanced technology," inferred another user on X.
In a recent report by Las Vegas Review Journal, it was reported that the aforementioned anonymous donors had been unveiled by the LVMPD in an email. They were reportedly Ben and Felicia Horowitz.
Ben Horowitz is the co-founder of a venture capital firm called Andreessen Horowitz and had donated 10 Tesla Cybertrucks to the department.
As per Metro, donations made by Mr. and Mrs. Horowitz had previously funded drones, license plates and several upgrades to the department's communication center, including a 911 functionality upgrade.
When Elon Musk talked about putting an exploded Tesla Cybertruck "back on the road"
On the first day of 2025, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. On January 3, Elon Musk tweeted about getting the pickup truck fixed inside Tesla's workshop and getting it back on the road again.
As per a report by CNN, the explosion was caused because of packed explosives inside the car and the police also obtained burnt gasoline canisters and firecrackers from inside the exploded Cybertruck. Stressing the same, Musk claimed that the explosion didn't occur because of the vehicle's fault.
"The battery pack never even caught fire and the tires are still inflated! Once we get this Cybertruck back to Tesla, we’ll buff out the scratches and get it back on the road," the multi-billionaire tech magnate tweeted.
On January 2, Elon Musk claimed in another tweet that the culprit had chosen the "wrong vehicle" for the explosion. According to him, the Cybertruck massively restricted the damage from the blast and directed it upwards. This helped reduce the damage:
"The evil knuckleheads picked the wrong vehicle for a terrorist attack. Cybertruck actually contained the explosion and directed the blast upwards. Not even the glass doors of the lobby were broken," he wrote on X.
LVMPD chief Sheriff Kevin McMahill also agreed to Musk's statement in an interview with CNN. He thanked the Tesla owner because the build of the vehicle allegedly helped contain the blast and ensure minimum damage to surroundings.
