A resident of Castro Valley, California faced charges on Thursday after being accused of vandalizing 17 Waymo self-driving vehicles by slashing their tires over a three-day period from June 24 to June 26.
Prosecutors contend that the tire slashings were caught on camera – specifically, footage taken from surveillance cameras installed outside Waymo’s autonomous vehicles. A recent wave of vandalism has hit Waymo’s self-driving cars in the San Francisco Bay Area, sparking concerns among local residents who have been vocal about their frustrations with the autonomous vehicles.
San Francisco has a long history of resisting expansion into autonomous taxi services more broadly. In February, vandals in San Francisco’s Chinatown targeted yet another Waymo robotaxi, perpetuating a string of incidents that have left the autonomous vehicle community reeling. Around twelve months ago, vocal critics of self-driving cars and robotaxis were thrilled when a hack was discovered that could temporarily disable these autonomous vehicles.
According to reports, Waymo’s surveillance technology has captured evidence of one such alleged crime on camera.
Waymo notified TechCrunch that the San Francisco Police Department analyzed footage from the exterior cameras of its vehicles to identify the suspect.
A spokesperson for Waymo, Katherine Barna, stated via email, “We can confirm that costs have been incurred as a result of vandalism committed by an individual who intentionally damaged numerous Waymo vehicles, including those carrying passengers.” Waymo is proactively addressing the damages incurred and implementing measures to minimize the likelihood of similar incidents occurring in the future.
Prosecutors claim that these tire slashings, committed in the Tenderloin neighborhood, are linked to a separate incident of robotaxi vandalism reported in the city’s data. The same suspect is accused of targeting a trio of Waymo self-driving vehicles, allegedly vandalizing all three cars by slashing their tires within a short period.
“I would like to express my gratitude to the San Francisco Police Department for their meticulous approach in investigating this case,” said San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins in a statement. “The city of San Francisco will not tolerate the destruction of others’ property.” Vandalizing public and private property has serious consequences that warrant legal accountability.
The defendant has pleaded not guilty to all 17 charges. Estimates suggest that the average damage to each vehicle exceeds $400. Prosecutors have held the suspect in custody without bail pending trial, citing a perceived public safety threat posed by their detention. The court date has been set for Friday, July 12th.
Waymo meticulously scrutinizes all requests from law enforcement before releasing footage from its autonomous vehicles. The corporation asserts that it scrutinizes, curtails, or dismisses petitions lacking a solidly grounded authorization or exhibiting excessive scope, an approach it has adopted in the past.
The office of the San Francisco District Attorney has declined further comment.
