Torched driverless taxis prompt Waymo to stop downtown L.A. service
Josh DuBose
After five of Waymo’s driverless taxis went up in flames Sunday during anti-ICE protests in downtown Los Angeles, costing the company hundreds of thousands of dollars, questions remain about how the vehicles made their way into the area.
Waymo eventually suspended service downtown after officials with the Los Angeles Police Department reportedly advised the company to do so.
In footage captured by KTLA, a row of vehicles on North Los Angeles Street, near Arcadia Street, all tagged with graffiti, were seen fully engulfed in flames as dense black smoke thickened the air, while many of those on the street continued to vandalize and photograph them.
While it’s unclear exactly how protesters started the car fires, there were reports that spray paint was used as an accelerant, with video capturing at least one of the autonomous vehicles exploding.
Police eventually closed Los Angeles Street north of Arcadia and South Alameda Streets and declared an unlawful assembly.
The remains of multiple burned Waymo vehicles are seen in the street following a night of protests in response to federal immigration operations in Los Angeles, on June 9, 2025. Los Angeles was on edge Monday after violent clashes between demonstrators and security forces over immigration raids, with the Californian governor vowing to sue President Donald Trump for deploying National Guard soldiers. Police stood watch after ordering people not to gather in the city’s downtown where cars were torched over the weekend and security forces fired tear gas at protesters. Protests in Los Angeles, home to a large Latino population, broke out on June 6, triggered by immigration raids that resulted in dozens of arrests of what authorities say are illegal migrants and gang members. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown / AFP) (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
A protester stands on a burning Waymo taxi near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night’s immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
A protester vandalizes a Waymo taxi as another burns 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)
A Waymo is vandalized while another burns 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)
A protester is seen as 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)
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)
A protester holds a sign as a Waymo taxi burns near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night’s immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
A protester waves a flag as a Waymo taxi burns 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)
A protester holds a sign reading: “ICE: Out Of Our Communities” as burning Waymo cars line the street on June 08, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
A Waymo taxi burns near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night’s immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
A protester holds a flag as a Waymo taxi burns near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night’s immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Protestors wave flags as burning and vandalized Waymo cars line the street on June 08, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
A protester leaps off a burning Waymo taxi near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night’s immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
Two Waymo taxis burns near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night’s immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
A Waymo taxi burns near the metropolitan detention center of downtown Los Angeles, Sunday, June 8, 2025, following last night’s immigration raid protest. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer)
A protester waves a flag as a Waymo taxi burns 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)
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Los Angeles Police Department Captain Erik Scott said that battery systems in electric vehicles are often difficult to apply water to during a fire and especially in the chaotic environment of Sunday evening’s violent demonstrations.
The department, according to Scott, had to just allow the cars to burn, which caused an increased threat to public health.
“When lithium-ion batteries burn, they release hydrogen-fluoride gas that is a highly toxic substance that could damage your lungs and can be absorbed through the skin,” Scott explained. “It can cause serious internal harm.”
With the five destroyed robotaxis, the cost of damages would amount to roughly between $750,000 to $1 million, based on WSJ’s estimate.
As for how the Waymo taxis made their way downtown to begin with, investigators and the company are looking into whether protesters may have used the app to order up the cars and light them on fire or, as other have speculated, protesters intercepted the vehicles from customers attempting to flee the area.
The company that the suspended downtown service may lead to increased wait times in other areas of L.A. and that as of right now, there is word on when service will resume in the area.
