The robotaxi company Waymo has suspended service in some parts of Los Angeles after some of its vehicles were summoned and then vandalized by protesters angry with ongoing raids by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Five of Waymo's autonomous Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicles were summoned downtown to the site of anti-ICE protests, at which point they were vandalized with slashed tires and spray-painted messages. Three were set on fire.

The Los Angeles Police Department warned people to avoid the area due to risks from toxic gases given off by burning EVs. And Waymo told Ars that it is "in touch with law enforcement" regarding the matter.

The protesters in Los Angeles were outraged after ICE, using brutal tactics, began detaining people in raids across the city. Thousands of Angelenos took to the streets over the weekend to confront the masked federal enforcers and, in some cases, forced them away.

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• Five Waymo vehicles were set on fire during protests in LA about Trump's immigration crackdown.
• The company suspended service in downtown LA, a spokesperson confirmed to BI.
• Waymo doesn't think the vehicles were intentionally targeted and is working with the LAPD.

Waymo suspended robotaxi service in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday after five vehicles were set on fire during protests against President Donald Trump's immigration raids in the city.

Photos show Waymo cars covered in anti-ICE graffiti burning in the street, engulfed in smoke.

A spokesperson for Waymo confirmed to Business Insider that five vehicles had been vandalized during the protests. The company temporarily suspended service in downtown LA and doesn't think its vehicles were intentionally targeted, the spokesperson said. Waymo is working with the Los Angeles Police Department, they added.

On Sunday night, the LAPD said on X that "burning lithium-ion batteries release toxic gases." Electric vehicles often use lithium-ion batteries.

The spokesperson told BI that Waymo, which Alphabet owns, operates more than 300 vehicles in LA and is continuing operations in other parts of the city.

It's not the first time that Waymo vehicles have been targeted in California. Last year, a crowd in San Francisco set one of the robotaxis on fire during Lunar New Year celebrations amid a wave of distrust about driverless vehicles.

The protests broke out on Friday after an immigration raid in the city. Over the weekend, Trump bypassed California Gov. Gavin Newsom's authority and ordered 2,000 National Guard members to the LA area. Despite the dramatic images, the protests have largely been peaceful, according to multiple reports.

The demonstrations have become a political lightning rod between Newsom and Trump, and the governor has announced that he's suing the administration. They may, however, serve as an olive branch between the president and Elon Musk, who had an ugly falling out last week.

Waymo said it recently received its last delivery of Jaguar I-Pace SUVs, which will be retrofitted with sensors and autonomous driving technology at its factory in Arizona, before joining its robotaxi fleet.

In a blog post published today, the Alphabet company said it currently has 1,500 Jaguars operating across its four main markets: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Austin. And it plans on adding 2,000 more vehicles into 2026, for a total fleet size of 3,500. The company recently hit an average of 250,000 paid passenger trips per week.

Waymo typically doesn’t like to comment on the size of its fleet, so today’s announcement provides a rare glimpse into the number of robotaxis the company currently has in operation. Waymo’s plans to scale up comes as the company eyes Atlanta, Miami, and Washington, DC for launch in 2026.

The Jaguar I-Pace has been the company’s primary vehicle since Waymo retired its fleet of Chrysler Pacifica minivans in 2023. The company had once projected it would have 20,000 I-Paces operating as robotaxis, but appears to have fallen significantly short of that goal. Waymo is also currently testing and validating two new models, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the all-electric Zeekr RT minivan, but has yet to say when they will join the fleet.

Waymo assembles its robotaxis with the help of auto engineering company Magna International at a 239,000 square-foot factory in Mesa, Arizona. The company’s final batch of Jaguar I-Paces will be assembled there, which should carry Waymo through to next year. And starting in 2026, Waymo will begin work on its sixth generation “Waymo Driver,” which will launch in the Zeekr RT. Zeekr is a subsidiary of Geely, which is one of China’s largest automakers.

The new robotaxi is being designed in Sweden (where Geely owns Swedish carmaker Volvo), adapted from Geely’s all-electric five-door Zeekr. Waymo is then importing the vehicles to Arizona, where they will be outfitted with the hardware and software necessary for autonomous driving. The first test vehicles began arriving in the US last year.

In order to adapt to multiple vehicle platforms, Waymo says its Mesa factory will add automated assembly lines and “other efficiencies” over time. And when it’s operating at full capacity, the company expects it will be able to churn out “tens of thousands” of robotaxis each year. Waymo added new processes at the end of the assembly line for passenger validation and commission to ensure each vehicle is ready to accept riders as soon as it leaves the factory. Each vehicle drives itself into service after leaving the factory, where it is ready for passenger pickups within 30 minutes, according to Waymo spokesperson Chris Bonelli.

Waymo’s interest in publicizing its plans to grow its fleet size comes as Tesla plans to launch its own robotaxi service in Texas and California later this year. And it aligns with the Alphabet company’s recent announcement of a partnership with Toyota to explore the possibilities of selling autonomous vehicles to customers for personal ownership.

• Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi revealed that he drives a Tesla.
• "Great car," Khosrowshahi said while praising the vehicle's self-driving capabilities.
• As for his company, Khosrowshahi isn't worried about Tesla robotaxis.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said on Friday that he isn't sweating Elon Musk's robotaxis.

"I don't think that there will be a winner-take-all," Khosrowshahi told Semafor editor-in-chief Ben Smith during the publication's World Economic Summit in Washington.

"The drama is winner-take-all, but I think that the transportation industry is a trillion-plus-dollar industry," he said. "You could argue that rideshare is going to finally beat personal car ownership in a world where you've got robots driving all over the place, so I think there will be plenty of room in the industry."

Khosrowshahi said Uber would "love to work with" Musk's company. He also revealed that he owns a Tesla.

"Great car," Khosrowshahi said.

Asked if he has tried full self-driving, Khosrowshahi responded, "It is delightful, but I have to take over every once in a while. It is an absolutely great product. Again, the car is a terrific car."

Musk isn't playing as nicely with his competitors in the autonomous taxi space. Earlier this week, Musk took a shot at Waymo during Tesla's Q1 earnings call.

Musk said the problem with Alphabet's robotaxis is that they cost "way mo' money."

Waymo's ex-CEO brushed off the insult.

"Tesla has never competed with Waymo — they've never sold a robotaxi ride to a public rider, but they've sold a lot of cars," John Krafcik said in an email to Business Insider.

Uber and Waymo are partnering on autonomous ride-hailing in Austin and Atlanta. Tesla is aiming to roll out a "pilot" robotaxi service in Austin in June.