A row of Waymo vehicles burn on a street during an anti-ICE protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025.
Benjamin Hanson | Afp | Getty Images
Several Waymo autonomous vehicles were set ablaze in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday amid widespread protests against President Donald Trump‘s immigration crackdown.
A spokesperson for the Alphabet-owned company confirmed there were multiple Waymo vehicles “in the vicinity” of protests that were unable to be retrieved, NBC News reported. Waymo is suspending service in the protest area “until it is deemed safe,” the spokesperson added.
The protests erupted in downtown L.A. on Friday after Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted raids in the city and surrounding communities. Demonstrations were largely peaceful, but tensions flared Saturday and Sunday, with police clashing with protesters near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown LA.
A Waymo car burns in the street as smoke billows during protests in Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025.
David Pashaee | Afp | Getty Images
California National Guard members arrived in the city on Sunday after Trump signed an order to deploy 2,000 troops in response to the protests.
In one photo, at least five Waymo robotaxis can be seen engulfed in flames, with anti-ICE graffiti scrawled across the cars’ hoods and doors. It’s unclear whether the vehicles were deliberately targeted.
Some people were seen tossing Lime e-scooters into the burning Waymo vehicles, the Los Angeles Times reported.
A shirtless protester stands atop a Waymo vehicle during an anti-ICE protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025.
Benjamin Hanson | Afp | Getty Images
“Burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride, posing risks to responders and those nearby,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement posted on X.
Waymo began offering robotaxi rides across 80-plus square miles of LA in 2024. The service also operates in parts of San Francisco, Phoenix and Austin.
www.cnbc.com
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