Waymo Car Vandalized and Set Ablaze During Lunar New Year Celebrations in San Francisco's Chinatown

ICARO Media Group
News
11/02/2024 20h27

The incident took place on Saturday night on Jackson Street near Grant Avenue.

A crowd of people in Chinatown reportedly attacked the Waymo vehicle, causing extensive damage. A video footage shows a person repeatedly hitting the front passenger window and windshield with a skateboard, leading to the shattering of glass. Shortly after, someone threw a lit firework inside the car, igniting a fire. It was determined that approximately 10 to 15 individuals were involved in the incident.

The San Francisco Fire Department responded to the scene and managed to extinguish the blaze within 10 minutes. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.

The San Francisco Police Department is currently conducting an investigation into the incident. However, it remains unclear what prompted the crowd to target and damage the self-driving vehicle.

Waymo, the autonomous driving technology company, confirmed that the vehicle was not transporting any passengers at the time of the incident. They stated that they are cooperating closely with local safety officials to address the situation.

This incident comes just days after a cyclist was injured in a collision with a Waymo driverless vehicle. Previous reports have highlighted concerns about the safety of the technology, with driverless taxis being targeted by protesters last year.

As of now, no further comments have been provided by the San Francisco Police Department or Waymo regarding the incident.

Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.

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