Waymo driverless taxi targeted in Beverly Grove vandalism attack

LOS ANGELES — A driverless Waymo taxi was vandalized by a group of individuals in Beverly Grove Saturday morning, according to Los Angeles Police Department reports.

The autonomous vehicle was stopped at a red light at the intersection of La Cienega Boulevard and West 3rd Street at 4 a.m. when vandals surrounded and damaged it, according to police and video of the incident. The driverless taxi was unoccupied at the time of the incident.

A video shared by Los Angeles Scanner on X shows multiple individuals attacking the Jaguar vehicle. One person climbed onto the roof while another entered the vacant driver's seat. The footage also captured someone kicking the rear passenger door of the vehicle.

The passenger-side front door was forcibly removed and placed on the hood. According to police reports, all windows, including the windshield, were shattered, and at least one front tire was deflated.

"These types of events are rare," Waymo spokesperson Julia Ilina said in a statement to the L.A. Times. The company said it is cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation of the incident.

The LAPD filed a vandalism report following the incident. As of Monday morning, no arrests had been made, according to officials.

While social media reports suggested approximately 40 people participated in the vandalism during an alleged street takeover, LAPD representatives told the L.A. Times they found no evidence of such an event in the area at the time.

This incident follows a separate event earlier this month in the Fairfax District, where a robbery suspect attempted to escape using a Waymo autonomous vehicle. The suspect traveled approximately three miles before the vehicle stopped for police intervention.