Waymo, the autonomous ride-hailing service owned by Alphabet, successfully thwarted an attempted theft of one of its electric Jaguars in Los Angeles on Thursday. The incident occurred shortly after midnight, prompting a swift response from the LAPD.
Authorities received reports of an auto theft and arrived at the scene to find a man seated in the driver’s seat of a Waymo vehicle. It was determined that the individual, who appeared to be under the influence, had accessed the car through the passenger door before moving to the driver’s side. Typically, the driver’s seat in Waymo vehicles is unoccupied, with an employee only present during testing.
A spokesperson for Waymo stated that their vehicles are engineered to prevent manual overrides of the automated driving system. Additionally, these advanced cars have functions that include evasive maneuvers, horn activation, and alerts to emergency services, ensuring maximum security.
If a person manages to enter the driver’s seat, Waymo’s rider support team is immediately notified and can instruct the individual to exit the vehicle. In cases where compliance is not observed, as was the case with Thursday’s incident, law enforcement is called. Over five million rides provided by Waymo have seen only a few attempts at vehicle theft, highlighting the rarity of such events. The man involved in this incident was ultimately released by police at the scene.
Waymo’s fleet of autonomous vehicles is currently operational in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix, with plans to expand service to Austin, Atlanta, and Miami shortly.
