The autonomous ride-hailing service Waymo has suspended operations in downtown Los Angeles after several of its vehicles were set on fire during protests against immigration raids in the area.
At least five Waymo vehicles were destroyed over the weekend, the company said. Waymo removed its vehicles from downtown but continues to operate in other parts of Los Angeles.
A Waymo spokesperson told The Times the company was working with law enforcement regarding the incidents.
Protests related to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity escalated on Sunday after President Trump sent National Guard troops to the city. Demonstrations on Sunday were largely peaceful, according to Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim McDonnell, but escalated where demonstrators clashed with law enforcement.
Waymo does not think the protests were directly related to its vehicles, the company said. E-scooters operated by Lime were also set on fire.
“We do not believe our vehicles were intentionally targeted, but rather happened to be present during the protests,” a Waymo spokesperson told CBS News.
Waymo’s fleet of driverless electric Jaguars has become a familiar sight in Los Angeles, where they have operated since November. The taxi service first launched in San Francisco and Phoenix and plans to expand to Miami, Atlanta and Austin, Texas.
The company got its start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project, which began in 2009 and put its first autonomous car on the road in 2015. The project rebranded as Waymo in 2016 under Google’s parent company, Alphabet, and launched its driverless ride-hailing service known as Waymo One in 2020.
Waymo vehicles had driven nearly 2 million miles in Los Angeles as of January, but have been frequent targets for vandals.
In January, a group vandalized one of the self-driving taxis in Beverly Grove.
In February 2024, a Waymo was set ablaze with fireworks in San Francisco’s Chinatown. In July, also in San Francisco, a Castro Valley resident was charged with vandalizing 17 Waymos over three days, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Waymo has not indicated when it plans to resume service in downtown Los Angeles.
Protests in California began Saturday after ICE raids in the Los Angeles Fashion District and continued Sunday. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called Trump’s decision to deploy National Guard troops “unlawful.”
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