Talk about holding a grudge. One man who used to work for Mercedes-Benz made sure his former employer rang in the New Year with a vivid, painful reminder of their time together: nearly $6.1 million in damages.
A security guard was eventually able to stop the damage, firing a shot in the air to get him to stop and out of the excavator, until the police arrived.
Authorities would not reveal an exact figure for the damage caused, but reports say that it could be as high as €5 million (nearly $6.1 million at today’s exchange rate). Unconfirmed sources say that the man wrecked some 50 vehicles in total, but others claim the number is much higher, at around 70.
The man is believed to have worked at the exact location between 2016 and 2017, which would mean his New Year’s Eve attack was the result of a long-gestating plan. He stole the excavator from a construction firm on an industrial estate in Legutiano, then drove it 21 km (13 miles) to the Mercedes factory. He also caused damage at the first location and along the way, police say.
He was arrested for causing criminal damage and the ongoing investigation is treating this as a work-related revenge attack. A spokesperson for the Erzaintza regional police confirmed the attack but could not reveal specifics due to this being an ongoing investigation.
As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Until authorities reveal more details, the photos in the gallery do paint a good picture of the mayhem at the Vitoria factory (via the Daily Mail).
