A row of Waymo autos burn on a avenue throughout an anti-ICE protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025.
Benjamin Hanson | Afp | Getty Pictures
A number of Waymo autonomous autos have been set ablaze in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday amid widespread protests in opposition to President Donald Trump‘s immigration crackdown.
A spokesperson for the Alphabet-owned firm confirmed that 5 Waymo autos have been vandalized within the neighborhood of the protests and have been unable to be retrieved. Waymo suspended service within the protest space till it was deemed secure, the spokesperson added.
Waymo responded with steering from the Los Angeles Police Division, the spokesperson stated.
A Waymo automotive burns on the street as smoke billows throughout protests in Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025.
David Pashaee | Afp | Getty Pictures
The protests erupted in downtown LA on Friday after Immigration and Customs Enforcement carried out raids within the metropolis and surrounding communities. Demonstrations have been largely peaceable, however tensions flared Saturday and Sunday, with police clashing with protesters close to the Metropolitan Detention Heart in downtown LA.
California Nationwide Guard members arrived within the metropolis on Sunday after Trump signed an order to deploy 2,000 troops in response to the protests. Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom stated the state plans to file a lawsuit in opposition to the Trump administration after it “illegally acted to federalize the Nationwide Guard,” Newsom wrote in a put up Monday on X.
Trump instructed reporters outdoors the White Home Monday afternoon that he would assist arresting Newsom after Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, threatened to arrest the governor, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, and anybody else who obstructed immigration enforcement actions in California.
The stays of a burned Waymo car on the street following an evening of protests in response to federal immigration operations in Los Angeles, on June 9, 2025.
Frederic J. Brown | Afp | Getty Pictures
In a single photograph, a line of Waymo robotaxis may be seen engulfed in flames, with anti-ICE graffiti scrawled throughout the vehicles’ hoods and doorways. It is unclear whether or not the autos have been intentionally focused.
Some folks have been seen tossing Lime e-scooters into the burning Waymo autos, the Los Angeles Occasions reported.
“Burning lithium-ion batteries launch poisonous gases, together with hydrogen fluoride, posing dangers to responders and people close by,” the LAPD stated in a press release posted on X.
A shirtless protester stands atop a Waymo car throughout an anti-ICE protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025.
Benjamin Hanson | Afp | Getty Pictures
A Waymo in San Francisco’s Monetary District was additionally vandalized with graffiti on Sunday as folks demonstrated to assist the protests in opposition to immigration raids in L.A., in line with a Reddit put up. It is unclear what number of autos have been affected.
Waymo stated it continues to function and serve riders in San Francisco, however that it is suspending service in sure areas the place protesters could also be gathering out of an abundance of warning.
Waymo started providing robotaxi rides throughout 80-plus sq. miles of LA in 2024. The service additionally operates in components of San Francisco, Phoenix and Austin, Texas.
The corporate has greater than 1,500 autos in its fleet throughout L.A., San Francisco, Phoenix and Austin.
Analysts from Cowen estimate that Waymo autos value $160,000 a bit and that the corporate may have greater than 15,000 taxis in its fleet by 2030, because it “dramatically” ramps up manufacturing. The agency has a purchase ranking on Alphabet shares.
— CNBC’s Lora Kolodny and Jennifer Elias contributed reporting to this text.
