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 that five Waymo vehicles were vandalized within the vicinity of the protests and were unable to be retrieved. Waymo suspended service within the protest area until it was deemed protected, the spokesperson added.
Waymo responded with guidance from the Los Angeles Police Department, the spokesperson said.
A Waymo automotive burns on the street as smoke billows during protests in Los Angeles, California, on June 8, 2025.
David Pashaee | Afp | Getty Images
The protests erupted in downtown LA on Friday after Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted raids in the town 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.
California National Guard members arrived in the town on Sunday after Trump signed an order to deploy 2,000 troops in response to the protests. Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state plans to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration after it “illegally acted to federalize the National Guard,” Newsom wrote in a post Monday on X.
Trump told reporters outside the White House Monday afternoon that he would support arresting Newsom after Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, threatened to arrest the governor, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, and anyone else who obstructed immigration enforcement actions in California.
The stays of a burned Waymo vehicle on the street following an evening of protests in response to federal immigration operations in Los Angeles, on June 9, 2025.
Frederic J. Brown | Afp | Getty Images
In a single photo, a line of Waymo robotaxis might 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.
“Burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride, posing risks to responders and people nearby,” the LAPD said in a press release posted on X.
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
A Waymo in San Francisco’s Financial District was also vandalized with graffiti on Sunday as people demonstrated to support the protests against immigration raids in L.A., in accordance with a Reddit post. It’s unclear what number of vehicles were affected.
Waymo said it continues to operate and serve riders in San Francisco, but that it’s suspending service in certain areas where protesters could also be gathering out of an abundance of caution.
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, Texas.
The corporate has greater than 1,500 vehicles in its fleet across L.A., San Francisco, Phoenix and Austin.
Analysts from Cowen estimate that Waymo vehicles cost $160,000 a bit and that the corporate could have greater than 15,000 taxis in its fleet by 2030, because it “dramatically” ramps up production. The firm has a buy rating on Alphabet shares.
— CNBC’s Lora Kolodny and Jennifer Elias contributed reporting to this text.
