A video showing a woman going on a rant after being told she couldn't park her sedan in a parking spot reserved for electric vehicles in Toronto, Ontario, is being widely circulated on social media.
The clip, which was shared on Twitter last week, shows a confrontation between a Tesla owner and a woman driving a non-electric vehicle after the man calls her out for blocking a charging station.
The incident took place in the parking area of a mall that holds a retail space for Tesla, including charging stations that are reserved for test-drive vehicles and Tesla owners who need to charge their vehicles during their time inside the mall.
'I Do Not Need This Stress'
The video starts off with the woman showing off her butt and saying "take this" to the person recording. She then grabs her phone from her vehicle so she can also start filming the incident. The video then shows what appears to be two police officers speaking to the woman and asking her why she parked in a spot labeled as an electric vehicle charging space.
The woman then explains that she is waiting for someone who is in "bad shape" after a motorcycle accident and has an optometry appointment inside the shopping mall. "I do not need this stress. Security can move, and I'll park there. Or, I'm parking here because nobody's here," she can be heard saying to the officers.
'You Go on Grindr and Do Hookups'
The "Karen" then turns her attention back to the person filming as she pulls out her phone and starts recording. She also hurls insults at them and says she's sick of their generation because they "have nothing better to do" with their time other than "hookups" on Grindr, a gay dating app.
"You're disgusting, and I'm so sick of these young people who think they're all that," she says as she begins recording them. "Nothing better to do with your time because this is what your generation does; You go on Grindr and do hookups."
'I Can't See' the Sign. 'Need to Make it Bigger'
She then goes on to say that young people show off their bodies and do not have any self-respect before being cut off by one of the officers. The video then cuts to another officer asking her to move her vehicle as he points to the signs saying that they clearly indicate that the parking spots are reserved for plug-in vehicles only.
"I can't see. I can't see. Need to make it bigger," she responds. The video ends with her telling the person filming, "if your's goes up, mine goes up, and it will have a lot to say." Watch the video below:
'Tesla Karen' Was Breaking the Law
In reality, the woman, who was upset and outraged by the Tesla owner's request for her to vacate the space, was breaking the law. Her choice to park in an electric vehicle charging spot with her internal combustion engine car violates Ontario's "Electric Vehicle Charging Act" of 2019.
The law clearly states: "No person shall park a vehicle in an electric vehicle charging station that is identified by a sign that satisfies the prescribed requirements unless the vehicle is an electric vehicle and the vehicle is attached to the station's charging equipment." The penalty for this offense is a fine of $125.
