The company Waymo has briefly suspended its self-driving car service in downtown Los Angeles, as some of it's self-driving cars have been set on fire and vandalized during anti-ICE protests this weekend, according to USA Today.
A Waymo spokesperson told USA TODAY on Monday morning, June 9, the company has removed its vehicles from downtown Los Angeles and is currently not serving the area 'out of an abundance of caution.'
While California officials still maintain the 'protests' are peaceful, the damage to private property has been astounding. Private citizens' vehicles have been vandalized, businesses have had their windows smashed, police officers have been attacked, and people have been continuously injured.
It appears that agitators called several Waymo self-driving autonomous cars to the site of one of the demonstration in Los Angeles, before vandalizing and burning them for absolutely no reason. pic.twitter.com/fnTG9kkuyz
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) June 9, 2025
HAPPENING NOW 🚨: A protestor waves a Mexican Flag in front of a burning WayMo vehicle. Multiple vehicles have been destroyed, no police presence in this affected area.
— Anthony (@AnthonyCabassa_) June 9, 2025
Los Angeles, CA pic.twitter.com/OmnUxY0dQS
President Donald Trump activated the California National Guard to assist the Los Angeles Police Department, and is vowing to bring order to LA. Both California Governor Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass have opposed that decision, and accused Trump of exacerbating the situation. On Monday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, along with Newsom, announced they are officially suing the Trump administration over the deployment of the National Guard. The LAPD police chief said last night that they are overwhelmed and outnumbered.