National Guard and protesters clash in an ice attack
Hundreds of demonstrators fought against the National Guard and local governments as ice protests escalated.
Waymo temporarily suspended its ride hale service in downtown Los Angeles after some of its self-driving cars flare up in immigration raid protests over the weekend.
A Waymo spokesperson told USA Today on Monday morning, June 9th that the company had removed vehicles from downtown Los Angeles and is currently not serving the area “from a wealth of attention.”
A spokesperson said the company is still operating in Los Angeles and is working in conjunction with the Los Angeles Police Department.
Members of the National Guard arrived in Los Angeles on June 8 after President Donald Trump ordered protests against the crackdown on immigration into the city. This is a move the state’s Democratic governor calls it illegal.
The footage shared on social media filmed several Waymo drivers Les Taxi who were engulfed in flames at the June 8 protest. Others were destroyed in messages against Trump, immigration and customs enforcement, the video shows.
LAPD said parts of Los Angeles Street were closed indefinitely after “multiple self-driving cars” flare up, around 9:15pm.
Video: Waymo car flares up during LA protests
Protesters burned Waymo cars in anti-ice protests in Los Angeles
Footage showed flames and thick smoke as demonstrators burned Waymo’s car during an anti-ice protest in Los Angeles on Sunday afternoon.
Photo: Waymo car engulfed in flames
What is a Waymo car?
Waymo cars are self-driving taxis run by computers rather than humans. The company uses electric Jaguar I-pace vehicles.
According to Waymo, it completes more than 250,000 paid trips each week in four major cities: Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Austin. Waymo said it plans to expand to Atlanta, Miami and Washington, DC in 2026.
Ride service is available through the Waymo One app. This allows the customer to request a ride and indicate a pick-up and drop-off.
Waymo, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, launched its service in Los Angeles in 2023 and operates 24/7 on the city’s 89 square miles, according to its website.
Why are people protesting in Los Angeles?
On Friday, June 6th, people began protesting immigrant raids at several businesses in downtown Los Angeles.
By that evening, more than 100 people had gathered at the city’s immigration service building centre, Reuters said. Police declared the protest an illegal assembly and ordered the crowd to be disbanded. Shortly afterwards, at least 50 officers from the riot device arrived.
The protest continued until the next day, with Trump leading him to sign a presidential memorandum ordering at least 2,000 National Guard members to Los Angeles.
Tensions escalated after the National Guard arrived in parts of Los Angeles Sunday morning. Protesters gathered as the day wore them, but the demonstrations eventually became violent.
LAPD said in X that it placed city officials on “tactical warnings” and later declared illegal rallies in parts of downtown. By 11pm on Sunday, local time, police said “many people had been arrested.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on June 8th at around 9:30pm local time, “the Trump administration has officially requested that the illegal deployment of the military in Los Angeles County be withdrawn.”
Trump called the protesters “troublemakers and rebels” and praised the National Guard’s efforts.
This story has been updated with additional information.
Contribution: Elizabeth Weise, USA Today
Melina Kahn is a national trending reporter for USA Today. She can be contacted at melina.khan@usatoday.com.