In the United States, residents of San Francisco witnessed a violent mob attack on an unmanned Waymo taxi. The incident occurred on the evening of February 10, along Jackson Street in the city’s Chinatown district, during Lunar New Year celebrations. Eyewitnesses report a lively street scene with fireworks and community festivities, which included a small traffic disruption where several vehicles were briefly halted. One of the cars immobilized in the slowdown was a Waymo electric taxi, an autonomous Jaguar I-Pace, with no one inside the cabin at the time.
According to people on the scene, a passerby wearing a white sweatshirt leapt onto the vehicle’s hood and performed a forceful maneuver that shattered the windshield. Following this, crowds gathered around the taxi, some using improvised tools to break glass, while others engaged in graffiti on the rear of the vehicle. Numerous bystanders did not intervene and instead encouraged the hooligans, capturing the events on smartphones as the scene unfolded.
The disturbance lasted roughly five minutes and concluded with the throw of fireworks at the taxi, after which the vehicle caught fire and began to burn. Local authorities and emergency responders arrived as the blaze intensified, and the San Francisco Fire Department confirmed that the car was completely destroyed by the fire. There were no reported injuries linked to the incident, though the emotional impact on witnesses and the community was significant given the celebratory context of Lunar New Year.
The San Francisco Police Department has not issued a formal statement about the incident at this time, and investigators are expected to review surveillance footage and interview witnesses to determine the sequence of events and any individuals who participated in the vandalism or violence.
Observers note that this incident stands apart from earlier discussions about other electric vehicles and public safety. While previous reports have highlighted accidents involving other electric models, such as the Tesla Cybertruck, officials emphasize that this event appears to be unrelated to those past incidents. The focus remains on understanding what motivated the crowd’s actions, the impact on local traffic and public safety, and any broader implications for autonomous vehicle operations in urban settings. [citation needed]