Waymo cars set on fire as Los Angeles immigration raids protests continue

LOS ANGELES - Waymo announced it is temporarily suspending its service in downtown Los Angeles after several of its driverless cars were set on fire amid protests over immigration raids across Southern California.

What we know:

At least five vehicles believed to be Waymos were seen burned to the ground on Olvera Street across from Union Station.

The cars were reportedly called to the area of the protests taking place Sunday in the area of Arcadia and Alameda streets around 5 p.m.

When the cars arrived at the scene, a group apparently waiting for those cars began attacking them, slashing tires, smashing windows, and tagging them with graffiti before deciding to set them on fire. 

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According to officials, LA city firefighters let the cars burn themselves out due to the release of toxic gases from the vehicles, which contain lithium-ion batteries.

The company added it is working in coordination with the Los Angeles Police Department.

What we don't know:

It's unclear why protesters targeted Waymo vehicles, which are operated by Alphabet, Google's parent company.

Big picture view:

Protests across Southern California, including downtown LA, Paramount, and Compton, entered a fourth day Monday. 

On Sunday, an estimated 300 National Guard troops arrived in LA County at the direction of Trump, despite Gov. Gavin Newsom's criticism.

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The Guard was deployed specifically to protect federal buildings, including the downtown detention center where protesters concentrated.

Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said officers were "overwhelmed" by the remaining protesters. He said they included regular agitators who show up at demonstrations to cause trouble.

According to the LAPD, 42 people were arrested throughout the weekend. One was detained for throwing a Molotov cocktail at police and another for ramming a motorcycle into a line of officers.

Trump responded to McDonnell on Truth Social, telling him to arrest protesters in face masks.

"Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!" he wrote.

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The backstory:

The recent anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles erupted following widespread anger over the agency's enforcement tactics. 

Community leaders reported incidents of ICE appearing at elementary school graduations, disrupting the legitimate immigration processes at various courthouses, and aggressively raiding workplaces and locations like Home Depot. 

These actions, perceived as arbitrary and invasive, sparked outrage among residents and galvanized the public into widespread demonstrations across Los Angeles County.

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Internal government data shows ICE arrests during President Donald Trump's second term have already surpassed 100,000 this week, including over 2,000 arrests on both Tuesday and Wednesday. This marks a dramatic increase from the daily average of approximately 660 arrests during the first 100 days of the Trump administration.

These numbers reportedly move closer to the stated goal of top administration officials, such as White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who has pushed for ICE to conduct "a minimum" of 3,000 arrests each day. 

What's next:

Waymo said it will resume service in the area when it is deemed safe to do so.

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