A San Francisco crowd just vandalized and set a Waymo driverless taxi on fire as the tension between residents and driverless car companies heightens.
Videos of the car being totaled show several bystanders cheering the crowd while others record people slipping fireworks into the vehicle.
Google's Waymo Autonomous car set on fire in San Francisco. 🥺
1. Fireworks start at Grant Ave x Jackson Street (Chinatown) for Lunar New Year
2. Waymo car got stuck immediately in front
3. Car vandalized, windows broken, fireworks put inside the car and blown up. #sf pic.twitter.com/gWbiLkmadr— Anirudh Koul (@AnirudhKoul) February 11, 2024
The incident occurred in San Francisco's Chinatown on Saturday night. Several eyewitnesses said the crowd was celebrating the Lunar New Year when the attack happened, Reuters reported.
The damaged robotaxi was not carrying any passengers at the time of the attack. The city's fire department immediately put out the fire after it started. No injuries were reported.
In response, Waymo dismissed the incident as a "one-off event" and will "continue serving riders during today's festivities."
It is worth noting that the incident happened during the Super Bowl LVIII where the San Francisco 49ers lost to
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San Francisco Mayor Slams Waymo Incident
Following the incident, San Francisco Mayor London Breed issued a statement on Monday condemning the group responsible for putting nearby establishments at risk.
Breed considered the attack as an "isolated incident." It is worth noting that Breed has previously expressed criticisms for the technology due to its rapid expansion to the city.
As of writing, no arrest was made yet. The investigations into the arson are still ongoing.
Growing Discontent on Driverless Cars
While companies and city officials have been dismissing the attack as a "one-off" incident, tensions between residents and driverless car companies have been growing over the past months.
Just last month, San Francisco's general attorney sued California's Public Utilities Commission for "unlawfully" allowing the companies to operate in the city amid safety concerns.
Many of the safety tests Waymo and other accredited driverless car companies provided were conducted by the company itself without much involvement from state officials.
It did not help that a Waymo collided with a cyclist in San Francisco last week, further intensifying people's call to suspend driverless vehicle operations in the city.
Concerns for safety violations started after a Cruise robotaxi hit a pedestrian before dragging them for 20 feet last October. California has already suspended Cruise's driverless testing license.
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