A row of Waymo automobiles burn on a avenue throughout an anti-ICE protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025.
Benjamin Hanson | Afp | Getty Photographs
A number of Waymo autonomous automobiles 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 5 Waymo automobiles have been vandalized within the neighborhood of protests and that they have been unable to be retrieved. Waymo is suspending service within the protest space till it’s deemed protected, the spokesperson added.
Waymo responded with steering from the Los Angeles Police Division, the spokesperson stated.
The protests erupted in downtown L.A. on Friday after Immigration and Customs Enforcement performed 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 Middle in downtown LA.
A Waymo automotive burns on the street as smoke billows throughout protests in Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025.
David Pashaee | Afp | Getty Photographs
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. California Governor 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 publish on X on Monday.
In a single picture, a line of Waymo robotaxis will be seen engulfed in flames, with anti-ICE graffiti scrawled throughout the vehicles’ hoods and doorways. It is unclear whether or not the automobiles have been intentionally focused.
Some individuals have been seen tossing Lime e-scooters into the burning Waymo automobiles, the Los Angeles Occasions reported.
A shirtless protester stands atop a Waymo automobile throughout an anti-ICE protest in downtown Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025.
Benjamin Hanson | Afp | Getty Photographs
“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.
Waymo started providing robotaxi rides throughout 80-plus sq. miles of LA in 2024. The service additionally operates in elements of San Francisco, Phoenix and Austin.
— CNBC’s Lora Kolodny contributed reporting to this text.