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, in accordance with the town’s district lawyer.
Prosecutors say the tire slashings have been captured by cameras put in on the outside of Waymo’s robotaxis. This is the most recent incident of Waymo vandalism within the Bay Area, the place some residents have expressed frustration with the autonomous automobiles.
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 prime of autonomous automobiles, a hack that disabled the automobiles.
This time round, Waymo’s know-how appears to have caught one in all these alleged crimes on video. In an e-mail to TechCrunch, Waymo mentioned the San Francisco Police Department reviewed footage from its automobiles’ exterior cameras to be able to establish the suspect.
“We can confirm that charges have been brought against the individual who aggressively vandalized a number of Waymo vehicles, some with riders present,” mentioned Waymo spokesperson Katherine Barna in an e-mail. “Waymo is also taking steps to recover the damages sustained, and mitigate the potential for future events.”
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 automobiles and stabbed a knife into their tires throughout the identical time interval.
“I would like to thank the San Francisco Police Department for their careful investigation in this case,” mentioned San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins in a press launch. “The destruction of other people’s property will not go unaddressed in San Francisco. People who vandalize property must be held accountable for their 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 safety risk” they pose. Their courtroom date is ready for Friday, July 12.
Waymo says it rigorously opinions any requests from legislation enforcement earlier than handing over its automobiles’ movies. The firm says it challenges, limits or rejects requests that do not need a sound authorized foundation or are overbroad, and has performed so previously.
The San Francisco District Attorney’s workplace declined to remark additional.
This story initially misstated the residence of the suspect. They stay in Castro Valley.
