(AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
This weekend’s unrest in downtown Los Angeles, sparked by mass protests against federal immigration enforcement, took a violent turn as several Waymo autonomous vehicles were vandalized and set on fire during the chaos. The self-driving robotaxis—symbols of modern tech and automation—became unlikely flashpoints in a city gripped by outrage.
At the height of the protests, which drew thousands of demonstrators, a small group of rioters targeted parked Waymo robotaxis near Los Angeles Street. Videos shared on social media showed individuals slashing tires, smashing windows, and eventually igniting at least three of the vehicles.
The electric cars erupted in flames, sending thick, toxic smoke into the air as onlookers scattered and first responders raced in. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded swiftly, but not before the battery-powered vehicles had emitted dangerous fumes. Officials warned the public of possible exposure to hazardous chemicals like hydrogen fluoride, which can be released from burning lithium-ion batteries.
While there’s no evidence that Waymo—or its parent company, Alphabet—was directly tied to the immigration enforcement actions that spurred the protest, the vehicles appear to have become symbolic targets. Driverless, corporate-owned, and often viewed as emblems of automation’s disruption of labor, the robotaxis were easy targets with no human operators inside.
Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) users speculated that the vehicles were singled out for their symbolic value, with one comment reading:
Two Waymo taxis burn near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night’s immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
“They’re corporate billboards with wheels—nobody’s inside to stop anything.”
The unrest began with peaceful demonstrations but escalated as protestors blocked major freeways, including the 101, and clashed with law enforcement. Tear gas, rubber bullets, and flashbangs were deployed as LAPD attempted to restore order. In response to the escalating situation, federal and state officials deployed National Guard troops and reportedly placed Marine units on standby—the first such military-ready move in California since the Watts Riots in 1965.
As of Sunday morning, over 100 arrests had been made, and at least a dozen businesses reported property damage.
Waymo issued a brief statement confirming it is working closely with law enforcement to investigate the incident and assess the damage. Operations in the affected areas of Los Angeles have been paused until further notice.
This incident comes amid the company’s steady rollout of driverless services across Southern California—a program that has seen both excitement and skepticism from the public.
While the destruction of the Waymo vehicles may seem like a footnote in a larger social and political crisis, it represents something deeper: a collision between two futures—one shaped by community outrage, the other by technological ambition.
Automation, surveillance, federal enforcement, and protest culture all collided in the streets of Los Angeles this week. The burning robotaxis have become an unexpected symbol of this tension—vehicles with no drivers, caught in the crossfire of a city demanding to be heard.
