Waymo self-driving car is ignited by crowd in San Francisco.

A group of people surround Waymo autonomous car, damages it, and throw a firework inside, causing it to catch fire

In an unsettling event on Saturday evening, a group of people surrounded a Waymo autonomous car, damaged it, and threw a firework inside of it, causing it to catch fire. Events like this one, which were recorded by Alphabet’s Waymo (GOOGL.O) subsidiary, highlight a troubling trend of public resistance to driverless cars, especially after a fatal pedestrian-dragging accident involving a General Motors Cruise unit last year.

In the attack, one of the crowd members broke a car window and set off a firecracker inside the vehicle, causing it to catch fire. The business declined to comment on why it thought the attack was carried out.

Videos of the electric car catching fire and spewing a thick cloud of black smoke were shared on social media. Luckily, no one was inside the car at the time, and no injuries have been reported. Waymo assured “The vehicle was not transporting any riders and no injuries have been reported. We are working closely with local safety officials to respond to the situation,”

San Francisco Fire Department moved quickly, turning over the matter to the police so they could look into the attack’s underlying cause. Pictures that the fire service posted on social media showed the burned remains of the car, confirming that the fire was started by a firecracker. However, the San Francisco Police Department did not respond to requests for comment right away.

Source: Reuters