Indian-Origin Tech Entrepreneur Vikram Beri Arrested After Tesla Crash and Winery Arson Attempt

Vikram Beri, a 42-year-old Indian-origin millionaire entrepreneur, has been arrested following allegations of attempting to set fire to a California winery.

Authorities report that Beri intentionally crashed his Tesla into two parked vehicles while trying to escape and threw a wine bottle at staff members who confronted him during the alleged arson attempt.

According to an official statement, Beri subsequently drove his vehicle off an embankment and repeatedly refused to comply with officers' commands to surrender. Despite de-escalation attempts, law enforcement was forced to deploy pepperball rounds and pepper spray to extract him from the vehicle.

Beri is a Menlo Park-based entrepreneur who established BetterLYF Wellness, an online mental health platform, approximately nine years ago.

His educational background includes a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, completed in 2007, followed by an MBA in marketing and strategy from the Indian School of Business, where he studied between 2010 and 2011.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Beri has maintained senior leadership positions at farm equipment manufacturer Fieldking for over a decade. Since August 2021, he has served as president of Fieldking USA, a full-time position based in Menlo Park, California. Additionally, he has held the role of executive director at Fieldking since April 2011, managing operations from India.

At Fieldking, Beri oversees domestic and international sales and marketing strategies and has been instrumental in expanding the company's presence throughout India and internationally, according to the company website. He is also involved in developing leadership capacity and supporting the professional growth of younger colleagues within the organization.

Prior to these roles, Beri worked as a consultant at Deloitte from July 2007 to October 2008.

Regarding the incident, Beri was apprehended on December 8 at Garrod Farms Estate Winery & Stables in Saratoga, as reported by the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office. Officials stated that he attempted to start a fire on the property and became confrontational when approached by staff, allegedly throwing a wine bottle at them.

Following the incident, Beri was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and resisting arrest, and was subsequently transported to a hospital for evaluation.