More than 20 driverless vehicles in Arizona have reportedly been vandalized over the last two years, according to the
New York Times, as enraged locals in the Waymo test market of Chandler have begun to revolt.
Tensions began to flare last year after an Arizona pedestrian was killed by a
self-drivng Uber car, with residents slashing tires, throwing rocks at, pulling guns on, and trying to wreck the autonomous cars.
Some people have pelted Waymo vans with rocks, according to police reports. Others have repeatedly tried to run the vehicles off the road. One woman screamed at one of the vans, telling it to get out of her suburban neighborhood. A man pulled up alongside a Waymo vehicle and threatened the employee riding inside with a piece of PVC pipe.
In one of the more harrowing episodes, a man waved a .22-caliber revolver at a Waymo vehicle and the emergency backup driver at the wheel. He told the police that he "despises" driverless cars, referring to the killing of a female pedestrian in March in nearby Tempe by a self-driving Uber car. -NYT
"There are other places they can test," said 37-year-old Erik O'Polka, who was issued a warning in November after multiple reports that his Jeep Wrangler had tried to run Waymo vans off the road. In one instance, O'Pokla reportedly drove head-on toward one of the self-driving vehicles, forcing it to abruptly stop.
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UPDATE 01.02.19 RT reports authorities are investigating the incident as terror-related and may have been caused by a combination of racism and a mental disorder. The suspect, identified as Andreas N., is an unemployed German national. Local news sources claim he had been previously admitted to a mental facility and treated for schizophrenia.