Drunk man beats up defenseless robot in Silicon Valley car park

An egg-shaped, 300-pound security robot has been beaten up by a drunk man in a car park outside a Silicon Valley shopping center. The robot, which ironically has been designed to prevent crime, was patrolling the parking lot when it was knocked over.

Jason Sylvain, 41, was arrested by Mountain View police after he attacked the 300-pound (136kg) robot.

According to ABC7 News, the autonomous robot suffered scratches but is now back on patrol. The robot is one of Knightscope's droids.

"I think this is a pretty pathetic incident because it shows how spineless the drunk guys in Silicon Valley really are because they attack a victim who doesn't even have any arms," Mountain View resident Eamonn Callon told ABC7 News.

"The robot did exactly as it was suppose to do - the 'assault' was detected and immediately reported. The alarms on the robot sounded, the suspect attempted to flee the scene and was detained by one of my colleagues and me until the Mountain View Police arrived," Stacy Dean Stephens, Knightscope's vice president of marketing and sales told CNet.

"The robot has recuperated from his injuries and is back on patrol keeping our office and employees safe again," Stephens added.

The 5-foot tall K5 droid has been designed by the firm to read 300 licence plates per minute. The security robot also comes with 360-degree video streaming and has the ability to alert security guards upon detecting anomalies.

Mountain View-based Knightscope reportedly charges $7 (£5.50) per hour for its security robots. The firm claims the droid will soon also be able to detect guns.

Sylvain was charged with prowling and public intoxication. As to why he assaulted the robot? According to Stephens, "He claimed to be an engineer that wanted to 'test' the security robots. I guess he now has his answer."

In 2016, a Knightscope robot ran over a toddler, leaving it with bruises; the firm has since made adjustments to its droids.