Robotaxis burn in downtown LA, and Waymo pulls back

Previously

In Part 1, Waymo opened its LA service to all riders after nearly 300,000 people joined the waitlist. About 100 cars served the city, on surface streets only, while local officials pressed for more safety oversight.

LOS ANGELES, June 2025 — Several Waymo robotaxis were set on fire in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, June 8, during protests against immigration raids. Here's what changed since Part 1 (November 2024), what it cost, and what went wrong.

Cost and outcome (as of June 13, 2025)

Vehicles destroyed: at least five over the weekend, the company said. (LA Times)
Service: pulled from downtown after the fires, then paused throughout the city ahead of June 14 protests. (CBS LA)
Investigation: the ATF joined LA law enforcement to find who set the fires. (CBS LA)
Dollar loss: not disclosed.

What happened

Protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity began on Saturday, June 7, after raids in the Los Angeles Fashion District, the Los Angeles Times reported. They escalated on Sunday after President Trump sent National Guard troops to the city, a move Gov. Gavin Newsom called "unlawful." LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell said Sunday's demonstrations were largely peaceful but escalated where protesters clashed with police.

Waymos were vandalized and burned during the clashes. CBS News Los Angeles reported that after firefighters put out the flames, "very little of the vehicles remained." Lime e-scooters were also set on fire, according to the Times.

Waymo removed its cars from downtown while continuing to operate elsewhere in Los Angeles. A spokesperson said the company was working with law enforcement. On June 9, Waymo had not said when downtown service would resume.

Waymo's account

Waymo said it did not think the protests were aimed at its vehicles. "We do not believe our vehicles were intentionally targeted, but rather happened to be present during the protests," a spokesperson said in an email cited by CBS News.

CBS reported that Waymo told CBS Moneywatch it had suspended downtown service out of caution. Ahead of the "No Kings" protests planned for June 14, it then paused service across the whole city.

The investigation

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives joined local law enforcement to find the people who set the Waymos and several police cars on fire, CBS reported. "The cause of these fires is quite obvious," said ATF Special Agent in Charge Kenneth Cooper. "The task at hand now is to determine who is responsible."

A pattern of vandalism

Waymo's electric Jaguars had driven nearly 2 million miles in Los Angeles as of January 2025, the Times reported, and had been "frequent targets for vandals." A group vandalized one in Beverly Grove in January 2025. In February 2024, a Waymo was set ablaze with fireworks in San Francisco's Chinatown. In July 2024, a Castro Valley resident was charged with vandalizing 17 Waymos over three days, according to the San Francisco Chronicle as cited by the Times.

What went wrong

Unattended fleets are exposed. A driverless car parked or stopped in a crowd has no one to move it away from danger. Police cars and Lime scooters also burned that weekend, so the risk is not unique to robotaxis.
Service gaps for riders. The downtown pull-back, then the citywide pause, left LA riders without the service at short notice. Waymo had not said how long the citywide pause would last.
No cost figure. Waymo has not said what the burned vehicles were worth.
What we don't know yet: whether anyone will be charged over the Waymo fires (we found no report of charges), whether the burned cars will be replaced in LA, when downtown service will return, and whether Waymo will change how it routes cars near protests.

Our follow-up question for Waymo

What rules now decide when Waymo pulls cars out of an area during protests or unrest, and who makes that call?

Later developments (added Oct. 2026)

On June 17, 2025, the Los Angeles Times reported that Waymo would expand its LA service area to more than 120 square miles, stretching from Santa Monica to downtown, starting the next day. (LA Times)
The FBI's Los Angeles Field Office and the ATF issued a "seeking information" notice on the June 8 fires. It said the fires destroyed the vehicles, put the estimated damage at $215,000 per vehicle, and offered a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction. (FBI)
In October 2025, KQED reported that Waymo operated over 600 vehicles in Los Angeles. (KQED)
In November 2025, the Times reported that Waymo would begin taking LA riders on freeways. (LA Times)

Sources

Los Angeles Times, Caroline Petrow-Cohen, “Waymo halts service in downtown Los Angeles amid ICE protests,” June 9, 2025. latimes.com
CBS News Los Angeles, “Waymo expands car service suspension ahead of weekend protests in LA,” June 13, 2025. cbsnews.com
Los Angeles Times, Caroline Petrow-Cohen, “Waymo expands service area in Los Angeles and San Francisco,” June 17, 2025. latimes.com
KQED, “Waymo Continues To Increase Its Footprint In Los Angeles,” Oct. 15, 2025. kqed.org
Los Angeles Times, Caroline Petrow-Cohen, “Waymo taxis are coming to Los Angeles and Bay Area freeways,” Nov. 12, 2025. latimes.com
FBI, “Arson: Unknown Individuals, Los Angeles, California, June 8, 2025” (seeking information notice). fbi.gov

Disclosure: [not in copy] Editor placeholder