San Francisco police investigate vandalism attack on Cruise autonomous vehicle caught on video
SAN FRANCISCO -- Police in San Francisco confirmed they are investigating the vandalism of an autonomous vehicle after video captured a masked individual attacking a Cruise car with a hammer or small pick axe late Sunday night.
Police said just before 11 p.m. Sunday night, officers responded to a report of a vehicle that was vandalized on the 300 block of Buchanan Street near Haight Street.
Arriving officers from the Northern Station found a vandalized autonomous vehicle at the intersection. A witness told officers that they heard a scream and looked out their window to see the suspect standing in front of the autonomous vehicle before vandalizing the car. The suspect fled the scene prior to the arrival officers arriving.
A video posted on the social media platform X by online journalist Stuart Schuffman that he credited to Instagram user @caterywta showed a masked person wearing all black using what appeared to be a small pick axe to hit the sensors on top of the Cruise car on both the driver and passenger sides as well as the vehicle's front windshield and driver side window.
The video also appeared to show that the front of the Cruise car had been tagged with spray paint.
Cruise issued the following statement in response to the attack.
"We are deeply troubled by the behavior displayed by the individual. While there was no one in the vehicle at the time, our priority is to operate safely under all conditions," a Cruise spokesperson said. "We have reported the incident to law enforcement and hope they are able to identify those responsible and hold them accountable."
Cruise confirmed that there was damage to the vehicle and a police report was filed in the incident.
Police said the vandalism attack is currently an active and open investigation. Police asked that anyone with information on the attack contact the SFPD at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with SFPD. Tipsters may remain anonymous.
