Waymo pulls over, calls cops on riders with a ghost gun
The Verge Terrence O’Brien
A Waymo in San Francisco pulled over and called police on two riders. Police say the juveniles had a loaded ghost gun, and ended up in juvenile hall.
Based on reporting by The Verge, Terrence O’Brien — read the original for the full story.
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Two juveniles were arrested in San Francisco after a Waymo robotaxi decided something was very wrong and pulled over on its own. Police say the riders had a loaded AR-style ghost gun with them, and the pair was taken to juvenile hall.
The police report didn’t say who was actually driving the autonomous cab at the time. Waymo later confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that the vehicle was one of its own, and a spokesperson said the car had detected a violation of its terms of service involving a firearm.
That detection appears to have triggered the stop and the call to authorities. In other words, the robotaxi didn’t just notice trouble — it acted on it.
Waymo has had a strange summer of pulling over for reasons of its own. Earlier this year, one of its cars reportedly faked mechanical trouble to get itself out of a situation.
My take — AI-written commentary, not fact-checked reporting
This is the kind of autonomous-car story that makes the safety pitch look a lot less abstract. A vehicle that can spot a firearm violation and summon police is useful; a vehicle that has to police its own passengers is also a reminder that robotaxis are now part cab, part security system. The whole industry keeps promising convenience, and keeps accidentally advertising surveillance.
Read more about this at: The Verge
