Two juveniles allegedly brought a loaded AR-style “ghost gun” along for a driverless ride through San Francisco. The absence of a human behind the wheel did not make the trip invisible.
Waymo became aware of what the company described as a terms-of-service violation involving a firearm, then stopped the vehicle and alerted emergency services. A spokesperson told the Los Angeles Times that Waymo also cooperated with San Francisco police.
Officers responded at about 3:52 a.m. Sept. 3 to the 800 block of 40th Avenue in San Francisco’s Richmond District after receiving a report involving two passengers in an autonomous vehicle and a firearm. Police conducted what they described as a high-risk vehicle stop and detained a male and female juvenile.
A search of the vehicle turned up a loaded AR-style rifle that police described as a ghost gun. Officers also recovered suspected marijuana and mace spray while searching the juveniles. Both were arrested on firearm-related allegations and booked into the city’s Juvenile Justice Center.
No Driver Needed
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The strange part is not simply that police found a gun in a robotaxi. It is that the ride stopped before officers got there.
Waymo has not publicly explained exactly how the company became aware of the firearm. That distinction is important because some coverage has described the vehicle itself as “detecting” the gun, while Waymo’s own statement only says the company became aware of the violation and pulled the vehicle over.
There are cameras in the equation. Waymo’s current privacy policy says video is recorded inside its vehicles during trips. It also says collected information can be used to address illegal activity and violations of customer agreements.
San Francisco police have their own rules for encounters with autonomous vehicles. The department’s traffic-enforcement policy says autonomous-vehicle interactions are recorded and that live people monitor the vehicles and can communicate through them.
Neither policy establishes what happened behind the scenes in this particular ride. Waymo has not said whether the firearm was noticed through cabin video, by a person monitoring the trip, through another system, or some combination of those methods.
Not The First
Waymo has called police over young passengers before.
In July, San Mateo police responded after Waymo reported trouble involving two 15-year-olds inside one of its vehicles. Police ultimately determined the teens had been drinking and firing Orbeez water beads from the car.
“Parents do you know where your teens are? @waymo does!” the San Mateo Police Department wrote afterward.
The latest case is more serious. San Francisco police said both juveniles were booked on allegations related to illegal firearm possession. Because they are minors, police have not publicly identified them.
The Sept. 3 case remains open and active.