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A 14-year-old is charged in fire that destroyed a driverless Waymo vehicle

A 14-year-old is charged in fire that destroyed a driverless Waymo vehicle

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The district attorney’s office in San Francisco filed charges of vandalism against a teenager suspected in the February incident.

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Firefighters spraying a Waymo car.
The Waymo vehicle was set on fire with fireworks.
Image: Frisco Live 415

The San Francisco Police Department has identified and served a search warrant on a teenager who is suspected of starting a fire in a Waymo self-driving taxi vehicle earlier this year.

On March 27th, investigators entered the suspect’s residence and seized evidence that connects the 14-year-old male with the February incident in which a crowd destroyed the driverless car.

The investigation was conducted by the SFPD Arson Task Force, which identified the suspect and developed probable cause for the search warrant. The district attorney’s office has filed charges against the minor while the juvenile probation department is deciding whether to put the suspect in custody before a court hearing.

The February 10th fire was reportedly caused by lit fireworks that were tossed inside the vehicle as it was surrounded by a crowd in Chinatown. Involved suspects were seen smashing windows and other parts with skateboards before leaving a fiery carcass for firefighters to put out.

In the past year, San Francisco residents have dealt with self-driving taxi annoyances, including blocked roadways and a Cruise car crashing into a fire truck. California’s DMV had suspended operations for Waymo’s rival Cruise in October after one of the company's vehicles struck and dragged a pedestrian who was initially struck by a human driver. A Waymo car also hit a bicyclist earlier this year.

Correction April 22nd, 2024, 12:57AM ET: A previous version of this article incorrectly identified the vehicle that crashed into a fire truck. It was not a Waymo vehicle, in fact it was a Cruise vehicle. We regret the error.