"Justice for Waymo" - Internet reacts as Waymo car assaulted by group of men while stuck at a red light in LA

During the early hours of Saturday, January 25, 2025, a group of men vandalized a Waymo car in Los Angeles.

The incident happened during an alleged street takeover in the Beverly Grove neighborhood. A bystander even captured a video of the incident, where others were seen standing around a damaged Waymo Jaguar. The clip later made it to X (formerly Twitter), where Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) reposted it while writing about the incident. Rugg wrote,

“NEW: Innocent Waymo car gets surrounded and assaulted by a group of men while stuck at a red light. – Justice for Waymo ✊”

He further talked about the incident, giving out more details,

“The incident reportedly happened in the Beverly Grove neighborhood early Saturday morning during a 'street takeover.' The front passenger door was ripped off, the windshield along with the windows were broken and a tire was damaged.”

The incident with robotaxi also got many to react to X, with the majority of people criticizing vandalism. A user even used a pun to give his take on the ruckus created by the unidentified men,

“Their insurance is about to be Waymo expensive.”

Another user supposedly joked and wrote,

“Poor Waymo!! What did he ever do to you!?”

Read on to learn how others reacted to the vandalism of robotaxi in Los Angeles.

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Netizens display their criticism after a Waymo robotaxi gets vandalized in LA

After the video of unidentified men assaulting the robotaxi went viral, many voiced their opposition to X. Some pointed out the state of lawlessness, while others called out for action. Here are some of the reactions that the LA robotaxi incident got on X:

“They need to figure this out asap! We need our citizens to be safe! No more “street takeovers”,” a user wrote.

“L.A. can't have nice things anymore. Imagine hosting the Olympics?? I don't think they are ready…,” another user suggested.

“And all of them know they won’t spend even 10 minutes in jail,” someone noted.

“Until about five years ago, I lived very close a couple of blocks from Beverly Grove back then this would’ve been unthinkable. Seems times have changed in Los Angeles,” another one drew a comparison.

A user added,

“I am not sure how this behavior is thought to be acceptable by any person.”

Someone called out the vandals,

“I'm definitely not a fan of of these Big Brother self driving cars, but vandalism of them and causing traffic jams as a result does nothing to help anyone.”

Another user observed,

“In the next few months, there will be outrage because they wont offer services in that area 🤷‍♂️.”

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The incident happened at a red light in LA when a group crowded the uncrewed vehicle. The vandals shattered the robotaxi’s windows and windshield. The group of men also took apart the front passenger side door. In the video, one of the men is seen wearing a mask and standing on the vehicle’s roof.

The local authorities told the LA Times that the incident happened around 4:00 am on Saturday, near La Cienega Boulevard and West 3rd Street. The LAPD denied the reports of the alleged street takeover, citing the lack of evidence. Furthermore, police have yet to arrest in the vandalism case.

(Post via X/@cryptogon)

In a statement given to the LA Times, Waymo spokeswoman Julia Ilina told the outlet that the company is working closely with the authorities. Ilina claimed that although such incidents are “rare,” her team takes them,

“extremely seriously and remain committed to improving road safety and mobility.”

Fortunately, neither outlets nor the authorities reported any injuries after the incident.