Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company owned by Alphabet, has temporarily suspended its driverless taxi service in downtown Los Angeles following a series of car fires during the recent anti-ICE protests. On Sunday, Waymo suffered a significant loss when at least five of their high-tech taxis were set ablaze amidst the demonstrations, as KTLA reported. Graffiti-covered and damaged, the vehicles' lithium-ion batteries posed a hazardous challenge to fire crews, prompting the LAPD to advise Waymo to cease downtown operations.
While affirming the suspension of service, a Waymo spokesperson expressed, "We do not believe our vehicles were intentionally targeted, but rather happened to be present during the protests," as mentioned in an email obtained by CBS MoneyWatch. According to FOX 11, the targeted cars were called into the area of the protests near Olvera Street and began being vandalized shortly after their arrival around 5 p.m. The difficulty in containing electric vehicle fires noted, as Captain Erik Scott from the LAPD explained the release of toxic gases such as hydrogen-fluoride from the burning batteries, which led firefighters to let the vehicles burn themselves out.
The incident took a substantial financial toll on Waymo, with estimated losses ranging between $750,000 to $1 million, based on vehicle cost estimates published in a 2024 report by the Wall Street Journal. Aside from economic ramifications, the events of Sunday exacerbated tensions in the city. The ongoing protests, which had entered their fourth day, intensified after President Trump deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles. According to reports from FOX 11, the deployment drew criticism from Gov. Gavin Newsom and local law enforcement found themselves overwhelmed by the scale of the protests.
The protests were sparked by a surge in ICE raids and enforcement tactics across Southern California, with community reports indicating ICE's presence at events as innocuous as elementary school graduations. "Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!" tweeted President Trump in light of the LAPD's struggles. These actions have seen the arrest tally during Trump's second term exceed 100,000, as reported by FOX 11, revealing the intensifying efforts by the administration to crack down on immigration.
Moving forward, Waymo has stated they will resume service once conditions in downtown Los Angeles normalize and are deemed safe. As the city grapples with the aftermath of the protests and the unprecedented targeting of its driverless cars, the timeline for a return to normalcy in Waymo's operations, as well as in the day-to-day lives of downtown residents, remains uncertain.
