Photo: Zack via Instagram
A group of skateboarders vandalized a Waymo vehicle on Saturday night in San Francisco in what appears to be already a tradition at the annual Hill Bomb event. The car was not operating autonomously at the time of the incident, and a human driver was inside the vehicle.
A video shared on social media shows dozens of people swarming the car, with several jumping on top of it and dancing. Others spraypainted the vehicle, and at least one individual was seen sitting on the large sensor array on the car’s roof. The incident occurred around 10 pm in the Mission District after the Dolores Hill Bomb event. This is an annual competition where hundreds of skateboarders gather and go down a steep hill. Usually, the event is followed by parties which often result in revelry and even light vandalism.
“One of our cars operating in manual mode in San Francisco was surrounded by individuals who jumped onto the hood, roof, and the trunk of the car and vandalized the vehicle with spray paint,” a Waymo spokesperson told Vice. “The autonomous specialist was eventually able to direct the car safely out of the crowd and remove themselves from the situation. We are in close communication with the San Francisco Police Department as they actively investigate this incident.”
Waymo started driverless operations in San Francisco in March, offering a limited service to its employees. Unlike Cruise, Waymo does not have a permit to operate commercial service without a human driver on board. Thus, it’s interesting that the Waymo car vandalized over the weekend was not operating autonomously, and a driver was inside the vehicle at the time of the incident.
It’s safe to assume that the car was not singled out because it was an autonomous vehicle but because it happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. In fact, the Waymo car was not the first vehicle to be vandalized at the end of a Hill Bomb event in San Francisco. Back in 2020, Hill Bombers attacked an SUV that drove down Dolores Street entering the fray.
“One of our cars operating in manual mode in San Francisco was surrounded by individuals who jumped onto the hood, roof, and the trunk of the car and vandalized the vehicle with spray paint,” a Waymo spokesperson told Vice. “The autonomous specialist was eventually able to direct the car safely out of the crowd and remove themselves from the situation. We are in close communication with the San Francisco Police Department as they actively investigate this incident.”
Waymo started driverless operations in San Francisco in March, offering a limited service to its employees. Unlike Cruise, Waymo does not have a permit to operate commercial service without a human driver on board. Thus, it’s interesting that the Waymo car vandalized over the weekend was not operating autonomously, and a driver was inside the vehicle at the time of the incident.
It’s safe to assume that the car was not singled out because it was an autonomous vehicle but because it happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. In fact, the Waymo car was not the first vehicle to be vandalized at the end of a Hill Bomb event in San Francisco. Back in 2020, Hill Bombers attacked an SUV that drove down Dolores Street entering the fray.
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