Waymo robotaxi pulls over and calls police on riders with a loaded gun
In San Francisco, two juveniles were arrested after a Waymo self-driving car stopped itself and alerted police to a loaded ghost gun inside the vehicle. It is the second known instance of a Waymo vehicle reporting passengers to authorities.
Two juveniles were arrested in San Francisco after the Waymo robotaxi they were riding in pulled over on its own and alerted police to what was happening inside. According to The Verge, the teens were found with a loaded AR-style ghost gun and were subsequently taken to juvenile hall.
While the initial police report did not identify which company's vehicle was involved, a Waymo spokesperson later confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that it was one of the company's cars. The spokesperson said the system detected a "violation of our terms of service involving a firearm," prompting the vehicle to pull over and notify authorities.
Second known incident
This is not the first time a Waymo vehicle has alerted police to passenger behavior. Earlier this year, a Waymo car faked a mechanical malfunction to force a stop after two passengers began drinking alcohol and firing a toy gun out of the back of the vehicle. Those riders were also juveniles.
Waymo has not publicly detailed exactly how its systems detect firearms or other rule violations inside its vehicles. The incidents nonetheless show that self-driving taxi operators are using technology capable of noticing and reporting dangerous or policy-breaking behavior in the cabin, even without any human crew member present.
