Brutal.Maximum Car-nageExpensive-looking robotaxis make easy targets, it seems.On Saturday, a self-driving Waymo cab was badly trashed by a crowd, who tore the vehicle to absolute shreds as it idled in the middle of a quiet street in Los Angeles's Beverly Grove, The Los Angeles Times reports.Local police say they received a call of a group vandalizing the vehicle around 4 am. When they arrived, the suspects had already fled the scene but the aftermath of the vehicular thrashingwas plain to see. The front passenger side door of the Jaguar was torn off and lying on the hood, just about every window was smashed, and the expensive rear camera, part of the autonomous vehicle's lidar system, had been ripped out.According to the LA Times, the Waymo cab was unoccupied at the time of the attack, and was stopped at a red light when it was mobbed. No arrests were made, but a vandalism report was filed.Mosh-Pit StopWhy the Waymo cab was vandalized is unclear. It is worth noting, however, that robotaxis remain controversial with locals, for issues ranging from disrupting traffic to endangering pedestrians.Some reports suggest that the Waymo barged into the middle of a "street takeover" when a group of people block off a section of road, typically to goof around in cars but an LAPD spokesperson told the LA Times that there's no evidence of this taking place.Whatever the reason for their gathering, the crowd was large. A video of the incident shows roughly two dozen people gathered around the Waymo, while a few take turns kicking its rear end and stomping on its sunroof.Mo ProblemsThis isn't the first time that Waymo cabs or cabs from the company's robotaxi competitors have been vandalized, though this latest incident was more severe than usual.Last fall, a viral video showed several people walk up to a stopped Waymo taxi to tag it with graffiti while a passenger sat inside clutching their dog a comical if tense scene.A more serious case last January saw a crowd of people set one of the robotaxis on fire in San Francisco's Chinatown.These cases of vandalism have become such a repeat occurrence that Waymo has made a show of going after the people that trash its car with lawsuits.A Waymo spokesperson said that the company was working closely with law enforcement to investigate this latest incident. "While these sorts of events are rare, we take them extremely seriously and remain committed to improving road safety and mobility in the cities where we operate," the spokesperson said, per the LA Times.More on robotaxis: Waymo Self-Driving Taxi Flummoxed by Construction Worker's Hand SignalsShare This Article