Newspaper photographer arrested at the Gigafactory after Tesla says he hit workers with a car (TSLA)

REUTERS/James Glover II

Two employees of the Reno Gazette-Journal were arrested around noon on Friday after they struck two Tesla security personnel with a car at the company's Reno, Nevada, Gigafactory, according to the company.

A blog post on the Tesla website says two individuals who were carrying RGJ employee IDs and driving a Jeep bearing the newspaper's logo were caught taking photos while trespassing.

According to a story in the Reno Gazette-Journal, one of the newspaper's employees involved in the incident has been identified as Andy Barron, a photographer who has been with the company since 1998.

When confronted by Tesla's security staff, the RGJ employees refused to identify themselves and attempted to flee when they were notified that law enforcement had been dispatched, the blog post stated.

According to the Tesla blog, the RGJ employees hit a Tesla staff member who was attempting to take a photo of the Jeep's rear license plate. That caused their employee to suffer multiple bleeding lacerations to his arms, Tesla said. The Jeep then hit an ATV carrying two other Tesla employees.

According to Tesla, when one of the individuals dismounted the ATV, the Jeep accelerated into the employee — striking him in the waist.

The Jeep's driver's-side window had been smashed in by a rock, and the driver's seat belt had been cut, the RGJ reported.

According to Tesla, the local sheriff's department arrested one RGJ employee on two counts of felony assault with a deadly weapon. Both RGJ employees will be charged with trespassing.

"We appreciate the interest in the Gigafactory, but the repeated acts of trespassing, including by those working for the RGJ, is illegal, dangerous, and needs to stop," Tesla said in a statement.

"In particular, we will not stand for assaults on our employees and are working with law enforcement to investigate this incident and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice."

Business Insider reached out to the Reno Gazette-Journal's editor regarding Tesla's blog post, but she did not have an immediate comment.