A Castro Valley resident was charged Thursday for allegedly slashing the tires of 17 Waymo robotaxis in San Francisco between June 24 and June 26, based on the town’s district lawyer.
Prosecutors say the tire slashings had been captured by cameras put in on the outside of Waymo’s robotaxis. That is the newest incident of Waymo vandalism within the Bay Space, the place some residents have expressed frustration with the autonomous autos.
San Francisco has a historical past for revolting in opposition to robotaxis extra broadly. In February, a crowd of individuals within the metropolis’s Chinatown neighborhood dedicated one other act of robotaxi vandalism by setting a Waymo on hearth. Roughly a 12 months in the past, different robotaxi haters positioned visitors cones on high of autonomous autos, a hack that disabled the autos.
This time round, Waymo’s know-how appears to have caught one in every of these alleged crimes on video. In an e mail to TechCrunch, Waymo stated the San Francisco Police Division reviewed footage from its autos’ exterior cameras to be able to establish the suspect.
“We will verify that fees have been introduced in opposition to the person who aggressively vandalized a variety of Waymo autos, some with riders current,” stated Waymo spokesperson Katherine Barna in an e mail. “Waymo can also be taking steps to get better the damages sustained, and mitigate the potential for future occasions.”
Prosecutors allege these tire slashings, which occurred within the metropolis’s Tenderloin neighborhood, are linked to a different case of robotaxi vandalism within the metropolis’s recordsdata. In that case, the identical suspect is alleged to have approached a three-car caravan of Waymo autos and stabbed a knife into their tires throughout the identical time interval.
“I wish to thank the San Francisco Police Division for his or her cautious investigation on this case,” stated San Francisco District Legal professional Brooke Jenkins in a press launch. “The destruction of different individuals’s property is not going to go unaddressed in San Francisco. Individuals who vandalize property should be held accountable for his or her actions.”
The suspect has pled not responsible to all 17 fees. The harm to every automobile is estimated at greater than $400. Prosecutors positioned the suspect in custody with no bail whereas awaiting trial, citing the “public security danger” they pose. Their court docket date is ready for Friday, July 12.
Waymo says it rigorously opinions any requests from legislation enforcement earlier than handing over its autos’ movies. The corporate says it challenges, limits or rejects requests that do not need a sound authorized foundation or are overbroad, and has finished so up to now.
The San Francisco District Legal professional’s workplace declined to remark additional.
This story initially misstated the residence of the suspect. They reside in Castro Valley.
