SAN FRANCISCO — Prosecutors say they have charged a person with 17 counts of vandalism for slashing the tires of Waymo robotaxis, the futuristic driverless cars that have become a cultural flashpoint in San Francisco.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a statement Thursday that Ronaile Joshua Burton, 36, had been charged in 17 different instances of vandalism over three days, from June 24 to June 26. Each instance was captured on cameras installed in the Waymo vehicles, her office said.
Waymo said in a statement that some riders were present during the incidents. None of the riders were injured, the company said.
“We can confirm that charges have been brought against the individual who aggressively vandalized a number of Waymo vehicles, some with riders present. Waymo is also taking steps to recover the damages sustained, and mitigate the potential for future events,” the company said.
“Waymo exists to make our roads safer, and with that in mind we will always prioritize the safety of our riders and community,” it added.
Waymo was spun out of Google in 2016, and its vehicles are covered in cameras and other sensors.
The Waymo service operates like Uber or Lyft but with no human drivers. People call for a ride using an app where they put in their destination. The service is also available in the Phoenix and Los Angeles areas, with plans to expand this year in Austin, Texas. A competitor, GM’s Cruise, is in the process of relaunching after a collision with a pedestrian last year and the revocation of its California permits.
The district attorney’s office said that Burton remained in jail Thursday with no bail set “because of the public safety risk.” A judge approved prosecutors’ motion to detain Burton, with a court date set for Friday, the office said.
Burton’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Adam Birka-White, said in a statement that Burton, who uses she/her pronouns, had pleaded not guilty and needed help.
“Ms. Burton is someone in need of help and not jail, which is why our social workers are actively working to identify and secure appropriate services, as we continue to advocate for her release from jail. Ms. Burton has entered pleas of not guilty, and we intend to aggressively fight these charges,” Birka-White said.
“The District Attorney continues to prioritize punishing poor people at the behest of corporations, in this case involving a tech company that is under federal investigation for creating dangerous conditions on our streets,” the attorney added.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in April that it was investigating Waymo’s self-driving system, and last month Waymo issued a software recall.
Prosecutors listed Burton’s residence as Castro Valley, a city 25 miles east of San Francisco, although in videos posted to X, someone who appeared to be Burton said she was homeless and living in San Francisco.
The case suggests that conflict over the driverless taxis may be ratcheting up as Waymo expands its service. Last year, some opponents of robotaxis discovered they could disable the vehicles by placing a traffic cone on the hood — leading to images of the cone-topped cars going viral on social media.
And in February, a crowd in San Francisco’s Chinatown set a Waymo ablaze with fireworks, leading to criminal charges against a 14-year-old boy.
Last month, Waymo got rid of its waitlist in San Francisco, allowing anyone in the city to call a driverless ride using the company’s app.