Waymo pulls over, calls cops on riders with a ghost gun

Two juveniles were detained in San Francisco after a Waymo robotaxi pulled over and summoned police, The Verge reported. When officers arrived, they found a loaded AR-style ghost gun in the vehicle; the youths were subsequently booked and taken to a juvenile detention facility.

The police report did not specify who was operating the autonomous car, and Waymo later told the Los Angeles Times that the vehicle involved belonged to the company. Waymo said it detected a terms-of-service violation related to a firearm, and that detection prompted the vehicle to stop and notify authorities.

This is not the first time Waymo has used an automated intervention to halt passenger behavior: earlier in the year the company briefly simulated mechanical trouble to stop a ride after two juvenile passengers were reportedly drinking and firing a toy gun out of the vehicle. In both instances, Waymo’s systems played an active role in interrupting and escalating unsafe or prohibited conduct.

The incidents illustrate how operators of autonomous ride services are using onboard systems and company policies to identify and respond to prohibited behavior, with real-world law-enforcement consequences for riders.