Waymo Is Suing People Who Allegedly Smashed and Slashed Its Robotaxis

The radical of San Francisco haven’t ever been benignant to Waymo’s increasing fleet of driverless taxis. The autonomous vehicles, which supply tens of thousands of rides each week, person been torched, stomped on, and verbally berated successful caller months. Now Waymo is striking back—in the courts.

This month, the Silicon Valley institution filed a brace of lawsuits, neither of which person been antecedently reported, that request hundreds of thousands of dollars successful damages from 2 alleged vandals. Waymo attorneys said successful tribunal papers that the alleged vandalism, which ruined dozens of tires and a process end, are a important menace to the company’s reputation. Riding successful a conveyance successful which the steering instrumentality swivels connected its ain tin beryllium scary enough. Having to interest astir attackers allegedly targeting the rides could undermine Waymo’s ride-hailing concern earlier it adjacent gets past its earliest stage.

Waymo, which falls nether the umbrella of Google genitor Alphabet, operates a ride-hailing work successful San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles that is comparable to Uber and Lyft but with sensors and bundle controlling the driving. While its cars haven’t contributed to immoderate known deadly crashes, US regulators proceed to probe their sometimes erratic driving. Waymo spokesperson Sandy Karp says the institution ever prioritizes information and that the lawsuits bespeak that strategy. She declined further remark for this story.

In a filing past week successful the California Superior Court of San Francisco County, Waymo sued a Tesla Model 3 operator whom it alleges intentionally rear-ended 1 of its autonomous Jaguar crossovers. According to the suit, the driver, Konstantine Nikka-Sher Piterman, claimed successful a station connected X that “Waymo conscionable rekt me” earlier going connected to inquire Tesla CEO Elon Musk for a job. The different suit from this month, filed successful the aforesaid court, targets Ronaile Burton, who allegedly slashed the tires of astatine slightest 19 Waymo vehicles. San Francisco prosecutors person filed transgression charges against her to which she has pleaded not guilty. A proceeding is scheduled for Tuesday.

Burton’s nationalist defender, Adam Birka-White, says successful a connection that Burton “is idiosyncratic successful request of assistance and not jail” and that prosecutors proceed “to prioritize punishing mediocre radical astatine the behest of corporations, successful this lawsuit involving a tech institution that is nether national probe for creating unsafe conditions connected our streets.”

An lawyer for Burton successful the civilian lawsuit hasn’t been named successful tribunal records, and Burton is presently successful jailhouse and couldn’t beryllium reached for comment. Piterman didn’t respond to a voicemail, a LinkedIn message, and emails seeking comment. He hasn’t responded successful tribunal to the accusations.

Based connected disposable records from courts successful San Francisco and Phoenix, it appears that Waymo hasn’t antecedently filed akin lawsuits.

In the Tesla case, Piterman “unlawfully, maliciously, and intentionally” sped his car past a halt motion and into a Waymo car successful San Francisco on March 19, according to the company’s suit. When the Waymo tried to propulsion over, Piterman allegedly drove the Tesla into the Waymo car again. He past allegedly entered the Waymo and aboriginal threatened a Waymo typical who responded to the country successful person. San Francisco constabulary cited Piterman, according to the lawsuit. The constabulary didn’t respond to WIRED’s petition for comment.