A Castro Valley resident was charged for allegedly slashing tires on autonomous vehicles over a dozen times in late June in San Francisco, according to prosecutors.
Ronaile Joshua Burton, 36, was arraigned Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to 17 counts of vandalism, the San Francisco District Attorney's Office said in a statement. Based on court records, Burton allegedly vandalized Waymo autonomous vehicles on 17 different instances between June 24 and 26.
Each occasion was captured on cameras installed in the Waymo vehicles. Prosecutors said that these acts 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 their tires. Those instances were also reportedly captured on cameras installed in the vehicles.
Burton remains in custody on no bail status, prosecutors said.
"I would like to thank the San Francisco Police Department for their careful investigation in this case," said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. "The destruction of other people's property will not go unaddressed in San Francisco. People who vandalize property must be held accountable for their actions."
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the San Francisco Police Department tip line at (415) 575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD.
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