On June 8, 2025, several driverless Waymo taxis were vandalized and burned during protests against federal immigration raids in downtown Los Angeles. The bright cars, anti-ICE graffiti, flames and thick smoke made a dramatic, instantly recognizable image. But the fires did not explain why the cars were attacked—and their prominence risked drawing attention away from the policy issue that brought demonstrators into the streets.
What happened to the Waymo cars in downtown Los Angeles?
On Sunday, June 8, demonstrators gathered in downtown Los Angeles to oppose federal immigration raids. Around 5 p.m., a group descended on five Waymo taxis lined up on Los Angeles Street between Arcadia and Alameda streets, according to the Los Angeles Times. Windows were smashed, tires slashed and anti-ICE messages painted on the vehicles. The Times reported that three of the five were set on fire.
The Associated Press reported the next day that Waymo confirmed five robotaxis had been impacted and removed from downtown. Those descriptions are not identical: the Times specified three cars set alight, while Waymo’s count covered five vehicles affected.
The incidents were part of a wider, though geographically concentrated, series of protests and clashes. Demonstrators gathered in the Civic Center area and spilled onto the 101 Freeway, which was closed for several hours, the Times reported. The fires supplied a vivid focal point within that broader scene.
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Why did the burning cars become such a prominent image?
The Waymos combined several visually striking elements: conspicuous white vehicles associated with driverless technology, anti-ICE graffiti, open flames and black smoke. Photographs and video of the cars were easy to recognize and circulated alongside footage of confrontations between protesters and police.
The scale of the images could obscure the scale of the protests. The AP described burning robotaxis as a dominant image broadcast from Los Angeles, while reporting that demonstrations occupied mostly a small downtown swath of a city of roughly four million people. Mayor Karen Bass disputed portrayals of the whole city as overrun: “I don’t know if anybody has seen that happen, but I’ve not seen that happen.”
The contrast mattered in a city where Waymo had become a visible part of the streetscape. A spokesperson told the Times that about 300,000 people had been on the company’s initial Los Angeles waitlist before the service became broadly available. Waymo reported 1.9 million miles driven in Los Angeles by January 2025. Those figures help explain why the vehicles were recognizable locally; they do not establish why anyone attacked them.
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Why were the Waymos targeted?
Available reporting does not establish a definitive motive. The cars’ association with technology companies made them possible symbols of corporate or technological power, but observers also raised practical explanations: unattended vehicles might be easy targets, or damaged cars might obstruct traffic or law enforcement.
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In the San Francisco Chronicle, UC Berkeley political science professor Omar Wasow said, “People are looking to attack symbols of power.” The article noted that Waymo’s parent company, Alphabet, also owns Google, and suggested anti-tech sentiment might attach to the robotaxis. That is an interpretation, not proof that the attackers chose these vehicles for that reason.
Possible tactical use or opportunistic damage
Some observers considered whether the cars could function as obstructions. William Riggs, a University of San Francisco professor who studies autonomous vehicles, described one possible interpretation as “creative use of technology as a defensive barricade.” Other reporting pointed to a simpler possibility: driverless vehicles moving without occupants may be convenient targets. Neither account is a confirmed explanation of what happened.
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Waymo told The Washington Post it had “no reason to believe” it was specifically targeted; a spokesperson said some vehicles had been completing drop-offs nearby. The available accounts therefore leave open whether the cars were selected for their symbolism, their possible tactical value, their accessibility, or some combination.
How did the images affect coverage of the protests?
The burning vehicles brought attention to the unrest, but they could also shift the focus from the immigration policy at its center to property damage and confrontations. Wasow told the Chronicle that such images can frame a protest less around “the core question of ‘Is mass deportation a just policy?’” and more around clashes with police or “the incineration of autonomous vehicles.” That is his analysis of the media effect, not a claim that every report ignored the policy debate.
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Waymo paused downtown service
According to the AP, Waymo paused service in downtown Los Angeles after the incident, citing law-enforcement guidance. Rides remained available elsewhere in the county at the time. This describes the immediate response in June 2025, not the company’s current service status.
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Authorities announced an investigation
On June 13, 2025, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced that its National Response Team had deployed to investigate fires during the unrest, including fires involving self-driving vehicles and the LAPD headquarters facility. The ATF said its work was to determine the fires’ origins and causes and identify those responsible. The announcement described an investigation, not a final finding about the Waymo fires.
What were the safety concerns around the fires?
These were Jaguar I-Pace robotaxis with lithium-ion batteries. Scientific American explained that battery thermal runaway can produce intense heat and hydrogen fluoride. The Los Angeles Police Department warned, as quoted by the Times, that “Burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride, posing risks to responders and those nearby.” That warning explains why people should keep clear of a battery fire; it does not establish that a particular bystander was exposed or injured.
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