The stricken robot, made by Knightscope, was spotted by passers-by whose photos of the aftermath quickly went viral on social media.
For some, the incident seemed to sum up the state of 21st Century technology.
"We were promised flying cars, instead we got suicidal robots," wrote one worker from the building on Twitter.
"Steps are our best defence against the Robopocalypse," commented Peter Singer - author of Wired for War, a book about military robotics.
It is not the first accident involving Knightscope's patrolling robots, which are equipped with various instruments - including face-recognition systems, high-definition video capture, infrared and ultrasonic sensors.
Last year, a 16-month-old toddler was run over by one of the autonomous devices in a Silicon Valley shopping centre.
And earlier this year, a Californian man was arrested after attacking a Knightscope robot.
The man, who was drunk at the time of the incident, later said he wanted to "test" the machine, according to Knightscope.

The boys, aged 12 and 13, were seriously injured in the attack in Havant, Hampshire, on Friday and remain in hospital.
Richard Michael Walsh, 43, of no fixed address, has been charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of assault.
He will appear before magistrates in Portsmouth on Monday, police said.
The attack happened shortly before 15:00 BST at the junction of Southleigh Road and Eastleigh Road.
Hampshire Constabulary said both boys were in a serious but stable condition at Southampton General Hospital.

Ashley Yates, 45, used a spy pen to record images of pupils and staff at The Tynings Primary School in Staple Hill, South Gloucestershire.
On Tuesday, at Bristol Crown Court, he admitted charges of making indecent images of children and voyeurism.
In a letter to parents the school said "additional adult victims have been identified" which the police confirmed.
On Tuesday the court heard Yates, of Filton, who is married with children, and had been in post as head at the school for eight years, filmed six girls, one boy and two members of staff.
It also heard Yates had handed over passwords to computers that would assist with the continuing police investigation.
A police spokesman said: "Enquiries are ongoing and we will not be commenting until sentencing."
But the letter to parents on the school's website says: "Police have confirmed that additional adult victims have been identified.
"These victims came to light after items were seized by police during the course of the investigation.
"The additional victims are all adult victims who have been contacted.
"They have also been offered support from police and the local authority.
"If any further victims are identified during the course of the investigation they will be notified immediately."
The school said it was working closely with the police and South Gloucestershire Council and would be disclosing as much information as possible without prejudicing the continuing legal proceedings.
In a letter to families, the acting head also thanked parents for their "patience and co-operation during this difficult time".
Yates has been remanded in custody until his next court hearing at Bristol Crown Court on 9 August.
A security robot in Washington DC suffered a watery demise after falling into a fountain by an office building.
[NEXT_CONCEPT]
A man has been charged with the attempted murder of two children who were stabbed.
[NEXT_CONCEPT]
A head teacher who snooped on pupils and staff in his school toilets filmed more adults than first thought.