An individual was apprehended by officers from the Los Angeles Police Department for allegedly attempting to steal an autonomous vehicle.
The incident unfolded around 10:30 p.m. on Saturday when authorities responded to reports of a disturbance. According to law enforcement officials, 33-year-old Vincent Maurice Jones entered a Waymo Jaguar sedan shortly after it had dropped off another passenger on Main Street, just north of 1st Street in Downtown Los Angeles.
Jones purportedly seated himself in the driver’s position and attempted to manipulate the vehicle’s systems to engage the drive mode. A Waymo employee initiated communication with Jones through the car’s system, instructing him to vacate the vehicle. Despite the employee’s directives, Jones reportedly disregarded the instructions.
Upon receiving the call, LAPD officers swiftly arrived at the scene and proceeded to arrest Jones on charges of attempted grand theft auto.
It’s worth noting that Waymo had recently obtained approval from the California Public Utilities Commission to deploy its fleet of autonomous passenger taxis within Los Angeles County. However, this decision has elicited opposition from local government officials, including L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn.
Expressing concerns about the safety implications, Hahn voiced her dissent on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, stating, “This is a dangerous decision. These robotaxis are far too untested and Angelenos shouldn’t be Big Tech’s guinea pigs. Decisions like this one should be informed by cities, not made over city objections.”