San Francisco residents haven’t always been kind to Waymo’s growing fleet of driverless taxis: The autonomous vehicles that carry tens of thousands of passengers every week have been set on fire, stomped on, and cursed at in recent months. Now, Waymo is fighting back in court.
This month, the Silicon Valley company filed two previously unreported lawsuits, seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages from two vandals. Waymo’s lawyers said in court documents that the vandalism, which damaged dozens of tires and tail ends, is a major threat to the company’s reputation. Riding in a vehicle with a steering wheel that spins on its own is scary enough. Having to worry that attackers are targeting your ride could destroy Waymo’s ride-hailing business before it gets past the early stages.
Waymo, a unit of Google parent Alphabet, operates a ride-hailing service in San Francisco, Phoenix and Los Angeles that’s similar to Uber and Lyft, except that sensors and software control the driving. Its cars have never been involved in a fatal accident, but U.S. regulators continue to investigate occasional erratic driving. Waymo spokeswoman Sandy Karp said the company has always prioritized safety and the lawsuit reflects that strategy. She declined to comment further on the matter.
Waymo filed a lawsuit last week in San Francisco County Superior Court alleging that a Tesla Model 3 driver intentionally rear-ended one of the company’s self-driving Jaguar crossovers. The complaint said the driver, Konstantin Nikka Shah Pitterman, claimed “Waymo killed me” in a post on X and then asked Tesla CEO Elon Musk for a job. Another lawsuit filed in the same court this month targets Ronail Barton, who allegedly slashed the tires of at least 19 Waymo vehicles. San Francisco prosecutors have filed criminal charges against Barton, who denies the charges. A hearing is scheduled for Tuesday.
Burton’s public defender, Adam Barka White, said in a statement that Burton “needs help, not prison” and that prosecutors “continue to prioritize punishing the poor at the behest of corporations, in this case involving a tech company under federal investigation for creating dangerous conditions on our streets.”
No attorney for Barton in the civil lawsuit was listed in court records, and Barton, who is currently in jail, could not be reached for comment. Pitterman did not respond to voicemails, LinkedIn messages and emails seeking comment. He has not responded to the allegations in court.
Based on records available from courts in San Francisco and Phoenix, Waymo does not appear to have filed a similar lawsuit before.
In Tesla’s lawsuit, the company’s complaint alleges that Pitterman ran a stop sign and sped into a Waymo vehicle in San Francisco on March 19. When Waymo tried to pull over to the side of the road, Pitterman allegedly crashed his Tesla into the Waymo vehicle again. He then got into the Waymo and allegedly threatened Waymo representatives who responded to the scene. San Francisco police cited Pitterman, according to the complaint. Police did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment.
