Musk Calls Him a 'Crazy Stalker.' Cops Call Him a 'Victim'

Police say member of Musk's security team is accused of hitting the man with his car
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 21, 2022 9:50 AM CST
Musk Calls Him a 'Crazy Stalker.' Cops Call Him a 'Victim'
Elon Musk arrives at the justice center in Wilmington, Del., Tuesday, July 13, 2021.   (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

In explaining his decision to ban the Twitter account that publishes the location of his private plane, Elon Musk claimed it had shared the "real-time, exact location" of his 2-year-old son before a "crazy stalker" confronted a vehicle carrying the boy on Dec. 13. But police in California have now provided a very different account of that incident, stating a member of Musk's security team is a "suspect" following a report of "an assault with a deadly weapon involving a vehicle." South Pasadena police said Tuesday that the security team member allegedly struck the 29-year-old man from Connecticut with his vehicle, NBC News reports. The statement makes no mention of a stalker.

The Connecticut man reported that the vehicle driven by the security team member had blocked his path after he pulled into a gas station, police said. The security team member accused the man of following him and ultimately struck the man with his vehicle as he left, police continued. "At no time during the incident did the victim identify the suspect or indicate the altercation was anything more than coincidental," the statement added. The Washington Post reported Sunday that the incident occurred 26 miles from Los Angeles International Airport and 23 hours after the @ElonJet account had shown Musk's jet arriving in Los Angeles, casting doubt on the billionaire's claim that the account was linked to the encounter.

However, the Connecticut man, identified as Brandon Collado, told the outlet that he had an interest in Musk and his ex Grimes, who lives near the scene. He also claimed Grimes was sending him coded messages through Instagram and that Musk was monitoring his real-time location. "You have connections to me and have stalked me and my family for over a year," he tweeted at Musk on Saturday, per the Post. Musk suspended @ElonJet the day following the incident, and later numerous journalists who'd referenced the account. "The journalists were aware of the violent stalker and yet still doxxed the real-time location of my family," he wrote. Twitter has since banned the sharing of live location information. (More Elon Musk stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X