14-year-old boy to be charged for allegedly setting Waymo car on fire

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A 14-year-old boy was charged in connection with a Waymo car that was set on fire in February in San Francisco, the San Francisco Police Department said. The boy has not yet been arrested.

The car was set ablaze on Feb. 10, during San Francisco’s Lunar New Year celebration in Chinatown. At about 9 p.m., a crowd surrounded the car on the 700 block of Jackson Street before someone threw fireworks inside and lit them, witnesses said.

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The car was unoccupied when it was set on fire. There were no injuries.

An SFPD investigation identified the 14-year-old suspect. A search warrant was served at his home on March 27, and “evidence related to the vandalism” was seized, SFPD said. Authorities will not identify the suspect due to his age.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins filed charges, but the Juvenile Probation Department will decide whether the boy will be arrested or go to court out of custody.

In addition to the fire, the car had its windows broken and was vandalized by graffiti. A witness told KRON4 that the confused car drove into the middle of the Lunar New Year celebration, which bothered the crowd.

“It was a dangerous and destructive act of vandalism. Chinatown is one of the densest neighborhoods in San Francisco, and any fire could explode and spread among tightly-packed buildings to endanger lives, homes, and businesses,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed wrote about the fire.

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