A homeless man was arrested on suspicion of grand theft auto after police said he tried to steal a Waymo self-driving car in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night.
The man entered and attempted to operate a Waymo vehicle that had stopped to let off a passenger at the corner of 1st and Main at 10:30 p.m., LAPD Detective said. said Meghan Aguilar. After the man, whom a Waymo spokesperson described as an “unauthorized pedestrian,” entered the vehicle, the company's driver assistance team told him to exit the car.
When he didn't, the company contacted police, “who were then able to remove and arrest” the man, said Waymo spokesman Chris Bonelli. Vincent Maurice Jones, 34, was arrested at 12:15 a.m. Sunday, Aguilar said.
The driver reported no injuries and there was no damage to the vehicle, Bonelli said.
The car was parked throughout the incident because the company identified an unauthorized person who was in the vehicle, according to Waymo.
Waymo is allowed to operate fully autonomous vehicles and carry passengers as part of its testing and promotions program and has been testing vehicles in Los Angeles for more than a year.
The company, which is a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet Inc. and focuses on self-driving technology, has faced criticism as it expands operations across the state, including in parts of San Francisco and now Los Angels.
Last month, a mob vandalized and burned an empty Waymo car in San Francisco's Chinatown, although the reason for that incident remains unclear.
On Friday, the California Public Utilities Commission approved the company's plans to expand into San Mateo and Los Angeles counties despite objections from local leaders. Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn called the commission's approval “a dangerous decision” and called for greater local involvement in the approval process.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass had also previously called on regulators to give local officials more say in regulation, noting that a Waymo vehicle operating in Los Angeles last year initially failed to stop for a traffic officer. at Beaudry Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard.
