Woman finds man hiding in trunk of self-driving Waymo in Los Angeles
Man hides in truck of self-driving Waymo
A Los Angeles woman found a man hiding in the trunk of a self-driving Waymo.
LOS ANGELES - A Los Angeles woman expecting an empty, autonomous Waymo taxi instead found a man hiding in the vehicle’s trunk, prompting new questions about the safety of driverless ride services.
The discovery was captured on video earlier this week as the woman prepared to enter the Waymo near MacArthur Park.
The man could be seen on camera, saying "They" put him in the trunk, but didn’t explain who. Los Angeles police responded but made no arrests, telling FOX 11 that no crime had been committed.
"I just want to know why he was in the trunk. Who put him in the trunk? How did he get into the trunk?" said Ollie Shirvani, a Los Angeles resident.
The encounter comes just a week after a separate Waymo vehicle in Los Angeles drove through an active police standoff. Officers were pointing guns at a suspect on the ground when the driverless car continued moving through the scene with a passenger still inside.
Nationwide, more than 3,000 Waymo vehicles are under recall after the company reported a software issue that caused some cars to pass stopped school buses with their stop arms extended.
Some riders say the string of incidents is affecting their confidence.
"I hope they figure that out so that we, as women especially, feel safe in that kind of car," said passenger Erica Bell.
"It’s just making me double-check when I open my Waymo — making sure no one else is in the trunk or anywhere else in the vehicle," added rider Camden Campos.
A Waymo spokesperson called the latest incident "unacceptable," saying the company is "actively implementing changes to address this."
According to the company, Waymo’s Rider Support team assisted the passenger during the event and confirmed she was safe. Waymo added that it already has systems in place for addressing situations like this and is working on improvements to further strengthen safety.
Police have not said how the man got into the trunk or why he was there.