Two Waymo autonomous vehicles have been damaged in separate incidents this month in Arizona and California, but not because they were involved in an accident with another vehicle, but rather because they were both attacked by pedestrians.
The first incident occurred at 2:30am on July 5 in Tempe, Arizona. According to a report by The Verge, an “erratic” pedestrian ran out of in front of one of the company’s Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicles (EVs).
In a statement Waymo said the on-board safety driver was able to see the pedestrian and take over control of the vehicle and brought it to a complete stop. The individual then jumped on the hood and smashed the windshield, injuring the safety driver in the process.
A video was shared by Andrew Hill (@AHill_) shortly after the incident showing the extent of the damage.
The second incident is a bit more alarming. A video was recently shared on Instagram showing another Waymo I-Pace EV being attacked by a swarm of pedestrians in San Francisco.
The video shows dozens of people surrounding the vehicle, dancing on the roof, jumping on the hood, and spray painting it and vandalizing it, all while there is a safety driver behind the wheel.
In a statement to Drive Tesla, Waymo says the incident took place on July 9 in the Mission District. The company says the safety driver was eventually able to maneuver the vehicle out of the mob and was uninjured, but likely more than a little shaken up.
The I-Pace suffered only minor damage to a side mirror, along with being spray painted.
“At approximately 10 pm on July 9, 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. 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.”
You can watch the video below.
View this post on Instagram
A new Waymo Jaguar was in a single vehicle accident tonight. First responders confirmed it did not strike another vehicle. At least one person was transported as I arrived. Windshield is completely destroyed. Well lit area. #waymo #jaguar #SelfDrivingCars #tempe #google pic.twitter.com/oBqDflE45o
— Andrew Hill (@AHill_) July 5, 2022
