On June 8, 2025, a row of vehicles burned down the street during an anti-ICE protest in downtown Los Angeles, California.
Benjamin Hansen | AFP | Getty Images
Several Waymo self-driving cars set on fire in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday protest Oppose the President Donald Trumpmigrant suppression.
spokesman letter– The company owned confirmed that five Waymo vehicles were caused near the protests and they were unable to be retrieved. The spokesman added that Waymo has been suspending services in the protest area until it is considered safe.
The spokesman said Waymo responded under the guidance of the Los Angeles Police Department.
Protests broke out in downtown Los Angeles Friday after immigration and customs law enforcement raids in the city and surrounding communities. The demonstrations were basically peaceful, but tensions broke out on Saturday and Sunday, with police clashing with protesters near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles.
A Waymo car burned down the street during a protest in Los Angeles, California on June 8, 2025, with smoke rolling.
David Pashaee | AFP | Getty Images
California National Guard Members arrived in the city on Sunday after Trump signed an order to respond to the protests. California Governor Gavin Newsom explain Newsom wrote in an article on X on Monday that the state plans to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration after “illegal action to federalize the National Guard.”
In one photo, a series of Waymo robots can be seen engulfing in flames, anti-ice graffiti scratching the car’s hood and doors. It is not clear whether the vehicle was targeted intentionally.
Some people have seen some throwing lime e-guns into the burning Waymo vehicle, The Los Angeles Times reported.
A shirtless protester stood in a Waymo vehicle on June 8, 2025 during an anti-ice protest in downtown Los Angeles, California.
Benjamin Hansen | AFP | Getty Images
“The burning lithium-ion battery releases toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride, poses a risk to responders and those nearby,” LAPD In a statement said Posted on X.
Waymo Start providing Robotaxi spans more than 80 square miles across Los Angeles in 2024. The service also operates in parts of San Francisco, Phoenix and Austin.
-CNBC’s Lora Kolodny contributed the report to this article.
