Photos show Waymo vehicles on fire during LA protests as company cuts service

Several Waymo autonomous vehicles were set ablaze in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday amid widespread protests against President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

A spokesperson for the Alphabet-owned company confirmed five Waymo vehicles were vandalized in the vicinity of protests and that they were unable to be retrieved. Waymo is suspending service in the protest area until it is deemed safe, the spokesperson added.

Waymo responded with guidance from the Los Angeles Police Department, the spokesperson said.

The protests erupted in downtown L.A. on Friday after Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted raids in the city and surrounding communities. Demonstrations were largely peaceful, but tensions flared Saturday and Sunday, with police clashing with protesters near the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown LA.

California National Guard members arrived in the city on Sunday after Trump signed an order to deploy 2,000 troops in response to the protests. California Governor Gavin Newsom said the state plans to file a lawsuit against the Trump administration after it "illegally acted to federalize the National Guard," Newsom wrote in a post on X on Monday.

In one photo, a line of Waymo robotaxis can be seen engulfed in flames, with anti-ICE graffiti scrawled across the cars' hoods and doors. It's unclear whether the vehicles were deliberately targeted.

Some people were seen tossing Lime e-scooters into the burning Waymo vehicles, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"Burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases, including hydrogen fluoride, posing risks to responders and those nearby," the LAPD said in a statement posted on X.

Waymo began offering robotaxi rides across 80-plus square miles of LA in 2024. The service also operates in parts of San Francisco, Phoenix and Austin.

-- CNBC's Lora Kolodny contributed reporting to this article.