Los Angeles police arrested a man for attempting to steal a Waymo self-driving taxi downtown.
The incident occurred Saturday night around 10:30 PM when 33-year-old Vincent Maurice Jones entered the vehicle after it dropped off a passenger near City Hall on Main Street, just north of 1st Street.
Jones tried to switch the vehicle to driving mode from the driver’s seat but failed. A Waymo employee then communicated with Jones through the car’s system, asking him to exit the vehicle. When Jones refused, the Waymo representative called the police.
Officers arrived soon after and arrested Jones for attempted grand theft. Waymo recently received approval from the California Public Utilities Commission to operate its fleet of autonomous passenger taxis in Los Angeles County.
However, local officials, including L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn, opposed the move, calling it dangerous and demanding more say for cities.
No injuries were reported, and the vehicle was undamaged. Waymo spokesperson Chris Bonelli stated that the car remained stationary throughout the incident due to the detection of an unauthorized person inside.
Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, focuses on autonomous driving technology development. The company has faced criticism as it expanded operations in California, including parts of San Francisco and now L.A..