Tesla employees in Texas received an alert early Friday telling them to “take cover” due to an “active attacker” at the automaker’s gigafactory in Austin, according to a report, before later being given an all-clear.
KVUE journalist Pamela Comme posted an image online of the email sent to staff at around 5 a.m. along with video footage appearing to show a panicked scene of people yelling and fleeing away from the factory. She added that workers “started running” as police arrived at the scene and said everyone “needs to leave right now!”
The Travis County Sheriff’s Office later told the news station that its deputies were in the process of clearing the building. They had not heard any gunshots or found any casualties, adding that there was no evidence of a shooter as the search continued.
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Hundreds of the factory’s workers gathered outside during the alarm but they were given the all-clear to return inside by 6:20 a.m.
“The ALL CLEAR has been given,” a message sent to staff shortly before 6 a.m. read. “Law Enforcement officials have conducted a thorough sweep of the area and have determined the situation is safe. You may return to your work areas. Tesla leadership will send out additional information about this event shortly.”
According to KXAN, the sheriff’s office received reports of “shots fired” and “active shooter” in the area at 4:30 a.m. The Austin Travis County EMS also said its medics had responded to the scene and were prepared to provide aid to potential injured patients in the wake of the reports.
It’s not yet clear what prompted the emergency alert.
