Waymo Halts Service in Downtown L.A. After Self-Driving Cars Set on Fire During Protests

Waymo has halted operations on the streets of downtown Los Angeles as a result of the vandalism and arson that hit some of its automated cars during a series of protests. The order to do this was received after videos were found circulating on social media, where more than one Waymo car is featured on fire, causing the event to be more visible, and what is left after it is seen is a chilling line of vehicle wrecks along the street.

The demonstrations that were initially focused on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency’s raids in the Los Angeles Fashion District became more violent and widespread after reports of the U.S. National Guard presence in the city, which was seen by the public as an illegal act and which Governor Gavin Newsom condemned publicly.

Although the company acknowledges that five of its vehicles were destroyed on Sunday in the mayhem, the company thinks that the cars might not have been the primary targets. According to them, it is more likely that the cars have been just the victims of the riots. “Waymo has decided to take its fleet from the area downtown that has been affected out of caution, and yet the company is still running the service in some other parts of Los Angeles,” the company’s statement said.

Even though it has been offering driverless rides beyond the areas of Phoenix and the Bay Area to L.A. for some time now, an incident like this is disastrous for the company. The company, which is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. of Google, has been running a pilot that is part of a larger program of the internet giant to take a large share of the ride-hailing market.

According to the report of CBS reporter, Ricky Montanez, the arrival of law enforcers was not immediate as required, thus, paving the way for protestors, who also targeted local businesses, to carry out the destruction that became widespread and unchecked. Businesses such as T-Mobile store, Jordan Studio 23, and Adidas, all of which, saw demonstrations of outrage against them and heavy losses continued.

LAPD and L.A. County Sheriff’s Department have yet to issue any official statements about the incident. Nevertheless, LAPD has recommended that businesses capture the damage before any cleaning and share the video with law enforcement.
We don’t know exactly when Waymo will reopen in downtown Los Angeles, but the case shows how advanced technology collides with on-the-ground people issues.