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Nine people were arrested on Saturday as a protest outside a Tesla dealership in New York City turned chaotic.

Demonstrators gathered to oppose Tesla owner Elon Musk's involvement in massive federal workforce cuts under President Donald Trump's administration.

The protest was part of a nationwide movement called "Tesla Takedown," which saw similar demonstrations in cities like Jacksonville, Florida, and Tucson, Arizona.

According to the New York Police Department, hundreds of protesters flooded the Tesla showroom, blocking entrances and preventing potential customers from entering.

Some held signs reading "Burn a Tesla: Save Democracy" and "No Dictators in the USA." The demonstration escalated when a few protesters managed to get inside the dealership, resulting in shattered glass and police intervention, Reuters said.

Authorities reported that the arrested individuals were charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. "We respect the right to protest, but blocking business operations and damaging property crosses the line," said NYPD spokesperson Sgt. Michael Ruiz.

Officers were seen escorting protesters away from the site as tensions flared between demonstrators and law enforcement.

Tesla Showrooms Become Battlegrounds as Anti-Musk Protests Spread

The protests stem from Musk's leadership of the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an agency responsible for significant cuts to federal jobs. Since Trump took office, over 100,000 federal employees have been fired or accepted buyouts.

Critics argue that these cuts have destabilized key agencies, including those overseeing nuclear security, public health, and energy distribution.

"We are taking action at Tesla, Musk's flagship company," organizers stated on the website Action Network.

They urged supporters to boycott Tesla stock and "join the picket lines." Actor and filmmaker Alex Winter, who helped organize the protests, wrote in Rolling Stone, "Detaching Musk from Tesla would be a meaningful blow against this administration and its prerogatives, because it would be a strike against what they hold most dear: money and power."

Among those affected by the demonstration was Angelo Martinez, a customer who had scheduled a test drive of the Tesla Model Y that day.

According to TeslaRati, footage circulating on social media shows protesters blocking his entry. "I was just trying to check out a car," Martinez said.

"I respect the right to protest, but I had an appointment." He eventually gained access to the store with police assistance and completed his test drive an hour later.

"The new Model Y is going to blow people's minds," Martinez later posted on social media, sharing a screenshot of his booking confirmation.

Tesla and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the protests. Meanwhile, demonstrations against Musk's role in the Trump administration's policies continue, with more protests planned in major cities across the US and abroad.

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