A self-driving car operating as a ride-share service was surrounded by a mob and destroyed in the Chinatown neighborhood of San Francisco a little before 9 p.m. Feb. 10 during Lunar New Year celebrations.
Videos posted on X show dozens of individuals surrounding the stopped car in front of 709 Jackson Street, with some using markers to graffiti the vehicle and another using a skateboard to break its windows.
Hundreds of people can be seen watching the scene unfold, with many using their phones to take pictures and videos of the incident.
One voice can be heard on a video saying, “Light that ... on fire,” though it is unclear if the person was involved in the subsequent blaze.
The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) responded to the scene and discovered “an unoccupied vehicle that was engulfed in flames,” a spokesperson told The Epoch Times.
No injuries were reported, and no arrests were made, according to the department.
A firework was ultimately set off inside the electric car, which started a roaring fire that consumed the autonomous vehicle, according to the San Francisco Fire Department.
The fire was extinguished by responding firefighters without complications, a fire department spokesperson told The Epoch Times by email Feb. 12.
City officials estimate that approximately 500,000 people took part in the Lunar New Year parade and festivities—with another 2.5 million watching the event on television and through livestream—held in San Francisco before the vehicle was targeted.
Waymo’s robo-taxi service is a product of Alphabet, Google’s parent company. Approximately 100 such vehicles are always on the road in San Francisco, with a fleet of about 250 serving the area, Waymo told state regulators last year.
The company’s website says the vehicle is “keeping an eye on everything, all at once,” using a perception system of sensors and cameras that captures complex data—including from pedestrians. Each vehicle utilizes 29 cameras to provide high-definition, simultaneous 360-degree views around the vehicle.
However, it is unclear what images or evidence the vehicle captured before being destroyed.
Police are investigating the incident and are asking anyone who saw or knows something about the destruction to report any information to 415-575-4444, or text to TIP411 and begin messaging with SFPD.
Alphabet did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
