San Francisco crowd mobs and destroys self-driving Jag

A Waymo self-driving car was vandalised and set ablaze by a crowd in San Francisco, according to statements from the Alphabet-owned company and local authorities. The incident marks the most severe attack on autonomous vehicles in the US so far.

The white Jaguar I-PACE was surrounded by a crowd in the city's Chinatown district during Lunar New Year celebrations. A witness said a person jumped onto the Waymo vehicle and shattered its windscreen, followed by another person who also jumped on the hood, to the applause of some in the crowd, according to a report by Reuters.

Social media accounts describe people with skateboards breaking the glass and others graffitiing the car. The vehicle was later shown engulfed in flames after someone threw a firework inside.

The fire department confirmed that a firework started the blaze, sharing images of the burnt vehicle on social media. The car was not transporting any passengers and no injuries were reported.

The San Francisco Police Department is investigating the cause of the fire, but no arrests have been made.

Although cars without drivers have become a common sight on San Francisco’s winding and sloping streets, there are long-standing tensions between the city’s residents and the driverless cars. The incident reflects an increasingly hostile public attitude.