Man accused of slashing tires of 17 Waymos charged by SF DA
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A Castro Valley man who police say slashed the tires of 17 Waymo autonomous vehicles has been charged with vandalism by the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. Ronaile Joshua Burton, 36, has been charged with 17 counts of vandalism for tire-slashing incidents in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood.
In each of the tire-slashing incidents, the damage amounted to more than $400, the DA said. Burton was arraigned on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
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“I would like to thank the San Francisco Police Department for their careful investigation in this case,” said SF DA Brooke Jenkins. “The destruction of other people’s property will not go unaddressed in San Francisco. People who vandalize property must be held accountable.”
Court records cited by the DA indicate Burton approached and vandalized Waymo autonomous vehicles on 17 different occasions between June 24 and June 26. Each of the incidents was captured on cameras installed in the Waymos.
According to the San Francisco Police Department, an investigation revealed that the suspect and suspect vehicle — an overdue rental car — were the same in all cases. The suspect vehicle was located on the 300 block of Bryant Street on June 26. The suspect, later identified as Burton, was inside the vehicle at the time.
Burton, police said, then slashed the tires on the suspect vehicle and the tow truck that had responded to seize the vehicle. Burton also broke windows on both vehicles before vandalizing five occupied vehicles along the embarcadero.
Responding officers to the tire slashing on Bryant were flagged down regarding the tire slashing on the Embarcadero. SFPD officers from the Southern Station arrested Burton.
Prosecutors also alleged these incidents are connected to another case in which Burton is alleged to have approached a three-car caravan of Waymo vehicles and used a knife to stab the tires on the vehicles. Each incident in that case was also captured on cameras installed in the vehicles.
According to the DA, prosecutors have moved to have Burton detained pending trial because he poses a public safety risk. The court granted the motion to detain him without prejudice and set no bail. Burton remains in custody at this time. His next court date is Friday.
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