Waymo robotaxi calls cops on young riders with a ghost gun
The autonomous cab was remotely stopped and turned over to the police.
A Waymo robotaxi. By Shutterstock / Cybernews.
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- Two juveniles were detained after a Waymo car detected a firearm and pulled over in San Francisco.
- Police found a loaded AR-style rifle, suspected marijuana, and mace spray inside the vehicle.
- Waymo said its cameras flagged the firearm, and the company alerted emergency services.
- Waymo cars use cabin cameras to monitor passenger behavior and may share information with police during emergencies.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
Two juveniles riding in a Waymo autonomous taxi were detained in San Francisco after the vehicle’s systems detected a violation of the firm’s terms of service involving a firearm. The company remotely pulled the car over and called the police.
“San Francisco Police officers from Richmond Station responded to the 800 block of 40th Avenue regarding a report of two passengers in an autonomous vehicle with a firearm,” reads a release by the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD).
“Officers arrived on scene and conducted a high-risk vehicle stop and detained the two passengers.”
Inside, the officers discovered a loaded AR-style assault rifle, as well as “suspected marijuana and mace spray.”
Although the SFPD statement doesn’t mention the autonomous vehicle’s operator, Waymo soon confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that the incident involved one of their cars.
According to Waymo’s spokesperson, the company decided to pull the car over after the cameras detected firearms in the vehicle. Waymo also alerted emergency services and, presumably, kept the two young people locked in the robotaxi until the police arrived.
Fully autonomous Waymo cars are packed with sensors and cameras that continually monitor passengers.
Normally, they check whether passengers are smoking or riding without their seatbelts on. In this case, the cameras detected something more serious and flagged the footage for review.
This wasn’t the first time the company has reported suspicious behavior in its robotaxis. In July, Waymo contacted the San Mateo Police Department after detecting two teens drinking alcohol and shooting toy guns in the back of a car.
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According to NBC, a Waymo employee monitoring the live cabin video tricked the teens by telling them the vehicle had a mechanical issue and needed to pull over.
The company’s website states that Waymo complies with requests from law enforcement agencies that are supported by valid legal authority. Waymo may also share information with the police during emergencies.
