[The active-duty US Army Green Beret who authorities say exploded a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas this week struggled with injuries relating to his military service and said he was depressed while they were together a few years ago, an ex-girlfriend of his told CNN.
Matthew Alan Livelsberger, 37, of Colorado, was on leave from his base in Germany at the time of Wednesday’s blast, sources told CNN. The explosion was caused by a combination of fireworks, gas tanks, and camping fuel in the bed of the vehicle detonated by a device controlled by the driver. Seven other people were injured in the blast, officials said.
Livelsberger suffered concussions and had back surgeries in 2018 and 2019 relating to injuries he suffered during his military service, his ex-girlfriend Alicia Arritt told CNN. He also had depression and would often tell her he was too depressed to hang out, Arritt said.
US officials familiar with Livelsberger’s military records told CNN he had been diagnosed with depression last year but had not been assessed to be a risk of violence or suicide. He spoke of injuries, pain, and exhaustion in texts to Arritt while they were dating, and said his life had been a “personal hell” for the last year.
Livelsberger texted Arritt on December 28 and they exchanged messages between then and December 31. He texted about the Cybertruck authorities say he rented, and Arritt said she had no idea he was planning anything.
The FBI’s special agent in charge of the Las Vegas Division, Spencer Evans, said the incident appeared to be “a tragic case of suicide involving a heavily decorated combat veteran who was struggling with PTSD and other issues.” Evans said “other family issues or personal grievances in his own life… may have been contributing factors” in the man’s actions in Las Vegas.
Livelsberger wrote of “political grievances,” armed conflicts elsewhere, and domestic issues in the days leading up to his suicide, officials said, citing two letters they found on a cell phone in the truck. In one letter, the driver of the Cybertruck said the incident was intended not as a “terrorist attack” but rather “a wake-up call,” according to police.
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