Texas police to demand Tesla crash data

Texas police will serve search warrants on Tesla on Tuesday to secure data from a fatal vehicle crash, a senior officer told Reuters on Monday, after CEO Elon Musk said company checks showed the car's Autopilot driver assistance system was not engaged.

Libby Hogan reports.

Texas police will serve search warrants on Tesla on Tuesday, as they investigate a fatal crash near Houston over the weekend that left two dead.

In a tweet, Tesla CEO Elon Musk rejected allegations the vehicle's driving assistance was to blame.

He said company checks ruled out use of Tesla's autopilot system.

But, a senior police officer told Reuters evidence including witness statements indicated that nobody was in the driver's seat when the 2019 Tesla Model S crashed into a tree at high speed on Saturday, before bursting into flames.

Authorities found the bodies of two men in the car, one in the front passenger seat and the owner of the car in the backseat.

Tesla's Autopilot system, which was operating in at least three Tesla vehicles involved in fatal U.S. crashes since 2016, has come under increasing scrutiny.

The latest crash is the 28th Tesla accident to be investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.