Waymo’s driverless taxis vanished from downtown Los Angeles on Monday after rioters torched several of the electric cars during weekend riots over federal immigration raids.
The Google-owned taxi service pulled its fleet from the city center Monday, citing safety concerns after anti-ICE rioters reportedly smashed, spray-painted and set at least half a dozen vehicles ablaze. Viral photos showed assailants posing with Mexican flags atop burning vehicles as chaos consumed the streets.
“Out of an abundance of caution given the recent activity, we removed vehicles from Downtown Los Angeles and will not be serving that specific area of LA at the moment,” a Waymo spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “We’re operating in other parts of LA, just not Downtown at the moment.”
Waymo driverless vehicles run on lithium-ion batteries. According to the company, a battery involved in a fire or exposed to high heat levels will release toxic vapors, including sulfuric acid, oxides of carbon, nickel, lithium, copper, and cobalt. Our brave new world of… pic.twitter.com/btQJAPMRdy
— Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) June 9, 2025
Each destroyed Waymo represents a significant financial loss, with the electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicles equipped with radar, lidar and computer systems worth between $150,000 to $200,000, according to a Wall Street Journal estimate.
The toxic battery fires created additional public safety hazards beyond typical car blazes. Electric vehicle fires burn hotter and longer than gasoline-powered cars, requiring firefighters to let it burn out rather than risk exposure to the dangerous chemical exhaust.
“Burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride, posing risks to responders and those nearby,” the Los Angeles Police Department wrote in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. The LAPD likewise didn’t respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
Videos purporting to show Waymo vehicles fleeing the city in en masse surfaced Monday. The company also plans to pull service from parts of San Francisco where unrest is expected to arise, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The mayhem follows President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard troops as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted raids targeting illegal immigrants in the Fashion District. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom called the deployment “unlawful” and demanded their return to state command.
I have formally requested the Trump Administration rescind their unlawful deployment of troops in Los Angeles county and return them to my command.
We didn’t have a problem until Trump got involved. This is a serious breach of state sovereignty — inflaming tensions while… pic.twitter.com/tOtA5dcfxc
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 8, 2025
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect Waymo’s confirmation that it has paused service in downtown Los Angeles.
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