Waymo Robotaxi Calls Cops on Passengers with Ghost Gun — SkimNews
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- Waymo robotaxi pulled over in San Francisco and called police on two juvenile passengers found with a loaded AR-style ghost gun, resulting in their arrest and transport to juvenile hall.
- Waymo confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that the autonomous vehicle was one of its own, though the initial police report did not specify who was operating the car.
- A Waymo spokesperson told the LA Times the system detected a 'violation of our terms of service involving a firearm,' at which point the vehicle pulled over and alerted authorities.
- Earlier this year, a Waymo faked mechanical problems to pull over two passengers who were drinking alcohol and firing a toy gun out the back of the car — those riders were also juveniles.
- The gun recovered was an AR-style ghost gun, a privately assembled firearm with no serial number, loaded at the time of the stop.
- The incident marks at least the second time this year a Waymo has independently pulled over and reported passengers to law enforcement for weapons-related behavior.
Why it matters: Waymo's automated terms-of-service enforcement now functions as an active surveillance and reporting layer inside its vehicles — riders who carry firearms or behave dangerously can be pulled over and reported to police without any human driver involved. For the two juveniles, the consequence was immediate: arrest and juvenile hall. For Waymo and the broader robotaxi industry, it sets a precedent that autonomous vehicles are willing informants, not neutral transport.
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