Waymo robotaxi attacked and set on fire in San Francisco
San Francisco Fire Department/X
On Saturday night, February 10, a crowd of people surrounded and set fire to a Waymo unmanned car in San Francisco's Chinatown district. The incident, caught on video, was the latest in a string of robot taxi confrontations with the public in that city.
Here's What We Know
According to Waymo, there were no passengers in the car at the time of the attack. The crowd smashed the car's window and threw fireworks inside, causing a fire. The company said it is working closely with law enforcement to investigate the incident.
????????????Raw HD footage: @Waymo vehicle torched in Chinatown --> Holy moly we just got done clipping together this HD footage from tonight for y'all.... hope you enjoy (warning: there's a horn for the first few seconds and you're gonna get wet!) #SplashZone https://t.co/5VeWvgPEhe pic.twitter.com/N4ZwIeGjAg
- FriscoLive415 (@friscolive415) February 11, 2024
Witnesses to the incident said that the arson attack left the vehicle nothing but a pile of charred remains. Rescuers couldn't even recognise which company the drone belonged to.
Waymo Vehicle surrounded and then graffiti'd, windows were broken, and firework lit on fire inside the vehicle which ultimately caught the entire vehicle on fire. #SFFD
- SAN FRANCISCO FIRE DEPARTMENT MEDIA (@SFFDPIO) February 11, 2024
Photos by Séraphine Hossenlopp pic.twitter.com/aOTqL3Rk8V
Earlier, road safety activists staged protests against the use of robot taxis in San Francisco. In particular, they disabled Cruise and Waymo cars by placing traffic cones on them. There were also recorded cases of citizens physically attacking the unmanned cars.
The new incident shows the growing dissatisfaction of a part of the public with the use of autonomous driving technologies on city streets.
Go Deeper:
- Waymo drone involved in an accident with a cyclist in San Francisco
- Opponents of robot taxis in San Francisco declare war on drones
Source: TechCrunch
