Waymo suspends downtown Los Angeles service after 5 cars set on fire

Multiple Waymo cars were vandalized and set on fire in Los Angeles on Sunday, as anti-ICE protests escalated across the city.

Aerial footage shows the electric, self-driving cars engulfed in flames with sparks shooting out from one vehicle. Another video shows the aftermath, with the charred metal remains of five Waymo vehicles splayed across a Los Angeles street.

Waymo has removed its vehicles from downtown Los Angeles and is suspending service in the area where the incidents occurred, out of an abundance of caution, a spokesperson for the ride-hailing service told CBS MoneyWatch. The company is still operating in other parts of Los Angeles.

"We do not believe our vehicles were intentionally targeted, but rather happened to be present during the protests," the spokesperson said in an email.

Waymo is owned by Google parent Alphabet. In addition to Los Angeles, the autonomous car company also offers it ride-hailing service in Phoenix and the San Francisco Bay, according to its website.

Ricky Montanez, who covered the incident for CBS Los Angeles, said it took a while for the Los Angeles Police Department to arrive on the chaotic scene on Sunday.

The LAPD and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment by CBS News.

Protests in California's capital began Saturday after ICE raids in the Los Angeles Fashion District, and escalated on Sunday following President Trump's decision to deploy at least 300 U.S. National Guard troops to the city — a move California Gov. Gavin Newsom has called illegal.

In addition to setting Waymo cars on fire, protestors also damaged and looted several businesses on Sunday including Jordan Studio 23, a sporting goods store in downtown L.A., as well as a T-Mobile and an Adidas store, according to CBS Los Angeles.

LAPD has advised businesses in the area to report any damage to the police. "Please photograph all vandalism and damage prior to clean up," the department posted on its X account.