On a sunny day in West Hollywood, Mark Chaney, a Southern California disability advocate living with cerebral palsy, set out on a routine trip using his mobility scooter. But what should have been a simple journey quickly turned into an internet sensation—and a heated debate about technology, accessibility, and the future of public spaces. On September 12, 2025, Chaney recorded a video with his iPhone that captured a Serve Robotics delivery robot repeatedly swerving into his path, then braking sharply, resulting in a collision between the bot and his scooter. Little did he know, this footage would ignite a firestorm online and spark conversations far beyond Los Angeles.
According to Beritaja and the Los Angeles Times, the video went viral in less than two weeks, amassing more than 26 million views on TikTok and Instagram combined. The explosive reach of the incident was matched only by the intensity of the reactions it provoked. As Chaney explained, “There’s been a lot of online hate, which is to be expected when you go viral. But, you know, the death threats are not great.” Despite receiving hateful attacks—including accusations that he staged the incident for financial gain and disparaging remarks about his disability—Chaney remained resolute. “I didn’t do this to sue someone,” he said. “I just wanted to get from one place to another on a public space, safely and unimpeded.”
The video shows the Serve Robotics device repeatedly blocking Chaney’s path as he attempted to maneuver his mobility scooter down the sidewalk. “The way that it moved just seemed really intentional,” Chaney told reporters. “Everywhere that I moved, it blocks, and then it literally went across the sidewalk to cut me off.” The situation reached a tipping point when the robot abruptly braked, causing Chaney, who was accelerating in an attempt to get around it, to slam into the machine. He later shared that his chair had been malfunctioning ever since the collision—a consequence that added to his frustration, especially as he was already experiencing pain that day due to medical issues.
The public’s reaction to the video was swift and polarizing. Some online commenters rallied behind Chaney, while others sided with the robot, going so far as to suggest that he was in the wrong or seeking a payout. “I’m on the robots side,” read one comment on a KTLA News video, amassing more than 2,900 likes. Another declared, “MAN COLLIDES (on purpose) WITH DELIVERY ROBOT,” while a third accused Chaney of ulterior motives: “He’s in the wrong here and maybe looking for a payout.” These remarks, along with others disparaging his disability, were hurtful, but Chaney found solace in the more supportive corners of social media. On his TikTok account, many users focused their criticism on Serve Robotics itself. “Taxpayers pay for those sidewalks,” one popular comment read. “They shouldn’t be getting used by corporations to make money while impeding foot traffic.” Another user urged, “That’s insane, post the company’s name so they’re held accountable.”
Serve Robotics, for its part, responded publicly to the incident. In a statement cited by both Beritaja and the Los Angeles Times, the company explained that its robots are designed and tested to safely navigate around mobility devices such as wheelchairs and to avoid impeding people with disabilities. “We regret when we do not live up to that,” Serve Robotics stated. After reviewing the footage, the company acknowledged that their safety system, which is intended to predict pedestrian intentions and yield the right of way, had instead caused the robot to impede Chaney’s progress. “Within moments, the robot came to a full stop in response to sensing a pedestrian in close proximity, which is considered its fail-safe state.” Ironically, it was this fail-safe stop that led to the collision, as Chaney’s scooter struck the stationary robot.
The company also confirmed that it is continuously working to improve its robots’ navigational skills and would implement specific improvements in response to this incident. Yet, the West Hollywood collision was not an isolated event—just days earlier, another Serve robot was recorded blocking the path of an activated Los Angeles Fire Department truck in Hollywood, raising further concerns about the potential hazards posed by autonomous delivery devices on public walkways.
For Chaney, the ordeal has been both exhausting and galvanizing. He has pushed back against accusations of seeking financial compensation, emphasizing that his goal was to raise awareness about the challenges faced by people with disabilities and to hold technology companies accountable. “I think this is really important for the future of AI and the disability landscape,” he said. “This presents an opportunity to really tackle a problem head on, make some positive change.”
To that end, Chaney has called for Serve Robotics to create an accessibility council—a group that would work to address concerns about how delivery robots interact with individuals with mobility challenges. He believes such a step is crucial for ensuring that advances in artificial intelligence and robotics do not come at the expense of accessibility and safety. “The measurement that it moved just seemed really intentional,” he reiterated, underscoring the need for thoughtful design and oversight as these machines become more common on city sidewalks.
The rise of delivery robots in Los Angeles is a relatively recent phenomenon. Food service robots first appeared on the city’s sidewalks in late 2018, with companies like Serve, Coco, and Starship leading the charge. Their popularity soared during the pandemic, when contactless delivery became a lifeline for many residents. Today, these companies operate fleets of robots across metropolitan Los Angeles, with plans for further expansion already in motion. Proponents argue that the bots can help reduce traffic congestion and emissions, while critics warn that the technology, if left unchecked, could create new barriers for people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
As the debate rages on, Chaney remains committed to advocacy, even as the personal toll of going viral weighs on him. “Despite the attacks, he stands by his decision to speak out, saying it is important the company be held accountable for its design and works to ensure people with disabilities can safely share the pavement with delivery robots,” reported the Los Angeles Times. The incident has become a flashpoint in the broader conversation about how cities adapt to rapid technological change, and whose needs are prioritized in the process.
For now, the sidewalks of Los Angeles remain a shared space—sometimes awkwardly so—between humans and their robotic counterparts. But as the city and its residents grapple with the implications of this new era, one thing is clear: the collision between Mark Chaney and a delivery robot has forced a reckoning that is unlikely to fade from view anytime soon.