A Tesla’s onboard cameras helped Florida police identify a man who allegedly smashed his doctor’s windshield with a hammer after becoming angry over canceled surgeries.
The September 16 attack outside a medical office in Wildwood left approximately $1,600 in damage to the physician’s black 2023 Tesla. Its cameras recorded the man approaching with a hammer, striking the windshield twice, and returning to a red Chevrolet pickup before driving away.
The footage eventually led Wildwood police to Glen Lee Ong, 79, of The Villages, whose initial denials began to unravel when officers compared photographs of the truck with the vehicle parked in his garage.
According to the arrest affidavit, Ong ultimately admitted damaging the Tesla and explained that one of his surgeries had been canceled because he drank a sip of water before the procedure. His account of a second cancellation helped explain a dispute that ended with his arrest on two felony charges.
The Video
Wildwood police responded to the medical office around 3:40 p.m. on September 16, after employees heard two loud bangs outside while the doctor was treating patients. One employee went to investigate, discovered two large indentations in the Tesla’s windshield, and called 911.
Officers C. Brown and B. Tetzlaff were speaking with the physician and employees when Officer J. Gomez arrived. The doctor provided footage from the Tesla’s cameras, which Brown reviewed before Gomez examined the recordings and documented the evidence in his report.
The video showed a man exiting a red pickup parked on the east side of the lot at approximately 3:23 p.m., carrying a hammer in his right hand. He wore a gray boonie-style hat, dark surgical-style face mask, prescription glasses, light-green shirt, black sweatpants and blue sneakers. An Apple Watch was visible on his left wrist, and he carried a gray bag.
Along with recording the damage as it happened, the Tesla captured details of the man’s appearance and the vehicle he used to leave the property. Those images would become important when officers questioned a suspect several weeks later.
A Familiar Face, an Unfamiliar Truck
On October 9, Gomez contacted the physician, who confirmed that Ong had previously been his patient. The doctor described him as a “difficult patient” and said he had declined to perform surgery following disagreements between them, providing a possible explanation for why someone might target his car.
That evening, around 8:31 p.m., Gomez and other officers visited Ong’s residence. After receiving a Miranda warning, he agreed to speak with them but claimed he could not remember what he had been doing on September 16. He also denied being a patient at the medical office or knowing the physician or anyone employed there.
His answers became less consistent when the conversation turned to a red 2012 Chevrolet pickup. Asked whether he owned one, Ong initially said no, then acknowledged having a red Chevrolet truck when the officer repeated the question.
Even after seeing photographs connected to the incident, he maintained that police had the wrong person.
“You got the wrong person,” he told Gomez, according to the affidavit.
It Gets Sticky
The photographs presented a problem for Ong’s account. Although he acknowledged that the truck pictured looked similar to his, he pointed to lettering on its rear window and insisted that his Chevrolet did not have those stickers.
Gomez showed him another photograph displaying the lettering and a Florida license plate. After studying the image for approximately 18 seconds, Ong conceded that the vehicle appeared to be his, although he continued disputing the stickers.
A registration check confirmed that the plate belonged to him.
With Ong’s permission, officers inspected the Chevrolet in his garage, where they verified that its license plate matched the one photographed during the investigation.
Tetzlaff and Officer Wood also examined the rear window with flashlights. Although the stickers were no longer there, they reported finding residue in the same locations where lettering appeared in the photographs.
Ong acknowledged that he was the truck’s only driver. Following additional questioning, he admitted damaging the Tesla, according to Gomez.
The Reason Came Later
“That guy screwed me over, twice,” Ong reportedly told Gomez when asked why he had struck the doctor’s vehicle.
He described arriving for surgery, changing into the required clothing, and then learning that the physician would not proceed because he had taken a sip of water.
A second attempt reportedly ended in another cancellation. Ong said he had arranged for someone to drive him to the appointment and was already prepared for the operation when the doctor informed him at the last minute that it would not take place.
“I went through all that trouble going down there, having someone to take me down there and that [expletive] turned me down,” he told police, according to the affidavit.
Ong reportedly believed the doctor needed to be held accountable and wanted to teach him a lesson.
Gomez also asked about the missing license plate and rear-window lettering. According to the affidavit, Ong acknowledged removing the identifying features because he did not want to get caught.
A Costly Lesson
Wildwood police arrested Ong on October 9 and transported him to the Sumter County Detention Center, where he was booked at 9:30 p.m.
He faces felony criminal mischief involving damage of $1,000 or more, under Florida Statute 806.13(1)(b)3, and wearing a mask while committing a felony, under Florida Statute 775.0845.
Sumter County Sheriff’s Office booking records show a $10,000 bond amount for each charge. Ong was released from custody at 3:59 p.m. on October 10.
The windshield damage was estimated at $1,600, but the criminal consequences could be considerably greater. Florida classifies the underlying property damage allegation as a third-degree felony, with an additional charge arising from the mask police say Ong wore during the encounter.
All parties are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.