Waymo suspended its self-driving taxi service in downtown Los Angeles after people set fire to some of the company’s vehicles on Sunday.
Peaceful protests began in L.A. on Friday, in response to workplace raids conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, targeting undocumented residents.
By late Sunday, some of the protests turned violent as President Donald Trump authorized the deployment of National Guard troops and threatened to send military troops to the area. California Governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass both criticized Trump’s moves as “purposefully inflammatory” and a “chaotic escalation.”
The Los Angeles Police Department said Sunday evening that “agitators” had “splintered” into downtown L.A.
It’s unclear whether the individuals who torched the Waymo cars were affiliated with organized protests or were agitators who capitalized on the situation. Before the cars burned, they were graffitied with anti-ICE messaging.
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Waymo is owned by Alphabet, the parent company of Google, though there is no evidence yet to suggest the vandals knew that. A Waymo spokesperson told Mashable that the company is in touch with law enforcement.
The LAPD asked people to avoid the area following the fires.
“Burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride, posing risks to responders and those nearby,” the department said on X.
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Waymo removed the burned vehicles from the street, according to the New York Times.
Over the weekend, Trump attacked California politicians multiple times on his social media platform, Truth Social. On Sunday afternoon, he also called for bringing in military troops to respond to protests. Trump also deployed National Guard troops to the protests.
Governor Newsom said on X that the federal government was trying to create a “spectacle” by “taking over” the state’s National Guard troops.
Authorities used tear gas and non-lethal impact rounds to disperse protesters, according to the Washington Post.
In advance of the ICE raids, LAPD’s chief of police Jim McDonnell reassured Los Angeles residents in an Instagram post that the department wasn’t involved in the federal operations. He also acknowledged that “these actions cause anxiety for many Angelenos.”
Authorities arrested dozens of people who participated in protests, according to NBC Los Angeles. Charges included attempted murder, looting, and arson.
“This violence that I’ve seen is disgusting,” McDonnell told NBC Los Angeles. “It’s escalated now.”
The vandalism of Waymo cars in Los Angeles wasn’t the first time they became a target of mob violence.
In February 2024, a 14-year-old boy allegedly began vandalizing a Waymo in San Francisco. About a dozen bystanders joined him in smashing the car. A firework thrown inside the vehicle ignited it, according to authorities.
On Sunday evening, Mayor Bass urged protesters to remain peaceful.
“Angelenos — don’t engage in violence and chaos,” she said in an X post. “Don’t give the administration what they want.”
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