Description: On May 9, 2026, two men reportedly stopped and vandalized a Waymo robotaxi carrying passenger Sherman Watson at Pierce and Lombard streets in San Francisco. The autonomous driving system reportedly remained immobilized after one man grabbed the bumper, and remote support declined Watson's request to move the vehicle while the attackers smashed its windows and climbed on it. Watson reported a possible glass cut, sought therapy, and said he feared he would be killed.
Entities
View all entitiesAlleged: Waymo and Automated driving system developers developed an AI system deployed by Waymo , Robotaxi operators and Automated driving system deployers, which harmed Waymo passengers , Sherman Watson , Robotaxi passengers , Road users and Passengers.
Alleged implicated AI systems: Waymo Driver , Remote assistance and fleet management system and Automated driving systems
Incident Stats
Incident ID
1599
Report Count
1
Incident Date
2026-05-09
Editors
Daniel Atherton
Incident Reports
Reports Timeline
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As the Waymo pulled up to a stoplight in San Francisco's Marina District, Sherman Watson raked his eyes over the empty road and saw a silhouette approaching in the darkness.
He was riding shotgun, peering out at the vast grid of Pierce and …
Variants
A "variant" is an AI incident similar to a known case—it has the same causes, harms, and AI system. Instead of listing it separately, we group it under the first reported incident. Unlike other incidents, variants do not need to have been reported outside the AIID. Learn more from the research paper.
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