The incident occurred in the evening, 10 February, on Jackson Street in San Francisco. According to an eyewitness who captured the incident on video, people on the street were celebrating the Lunar New Year and setting off fireworks. The Waymo car was waiting for the crowd to disperse when someone jumped on the bonnet of the car and smashed the windscreen.
The situation escalated further. People began drawing writing on the car and smashing other windows, including using a skateboard. Someone then threw a firework under the car. It exploded but did not cause any noticeable damage. A short time later, fireworks were thrown into the interior of the car through a broken window. After about half a minute, the Jaguar I-Pace was engulfed in flames.
happening NOW in SF. Waymo car vandalised & lit on fire @sfchronicle pic.twitter.com/OEZYFiy6mv
- Michael Vandi (@michael_vandi) February 11, 2024
Within minutes, the San Francisco Fire Department arrived on the scene and began extinguishing the burning vehicle. The San Francisco Fire Department later released photos confirming that the windows had been smashed and fireworks had ignited inside the car.
A Waymo spokesperson told The Verge that there were no passengers in the vehicle. The Waymo One taxi ordering service Waymo One is currently operating 24/7 throughout San Francisco. It also operates in Phoenix and is publicly testing the service in Los Angeles before a full launch.
Sources: The Verge, 9to5google
