A Waymo robotaxi has driven into the middle of a police standoff in Los Angeles, putting its passengers in the line of fire of a swarm of police officers with guns drawn below a circling police chopper.
The white Jaguar I-Pace operated by Waymo, Google’s robotaxi service owned by its parent company Alphabet, approached the group of Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) cruisers blocking a road with lights flashing.
With a perpetrator face down on the ground – and police shouting commands – the Waymo approached the roadblock at the intersection of Broadway and 1st Streets, which the LAPD had closed.
With its left-hand turn signal on, the Waymo then turned straight into the line of fire of police and towards the perp, indicating right and then meandering past the man lying face down on the road next to his abandoned pickup.
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The perp appeared to raise his head in bewilderment as the Waymo passed by before he was forced to get back to the task of being apprehended.
No one was injured in the incident, with Waymo telling website TMZ the vehicle “cleared the scene in a matter of seconds” with its occupants “making it safely to their destination”.
“Safety is our highest priority at Waymo, both for people who choose to ride with us and with whom we share the streets,” a Waymo spokesperson said.
“When we encounter unusual events like this one, we learn from them as we continue improving road safety and operating in dynamic cities.”
According to NBC News, the LAPD said the interruption to the operation didn’t influence its tactics.
It’s the latest Waymo incident to make the news, after a Waymo robotaxi was pulled over by police after it performed an illegal U-turn on a road in San Francisco. Another was pulled over for driving the wrong way down a street, while several Waymos were attacked by mobs during riots in LA earlier this year.
The attacks, which saw robotaxis graffitied and set on fire, prompted Waymo to suspend its services in trouble spots to ensure the safety of its users.
Waymo is one of several robotaxi services being trialed on public roads in the US, including electric car manufacturer Tesla and previously General Motors (GM).
Last month, Waymo announced the expansion of its robotaxi service beyond suburban streets to freeways.
There are currently no robotaxis on Australian roads, and a survey of Australians by insurance company iSelect revealed almost half were opposed to fully driverless cars on local roads.
In the US, GM abandoned its loss-making Cruise robotaxi operations in late 2024 after its licence to operate was suspended in California after multiple incidents involving pedestrians.
Ford CEO Jim Farley said earlier this year he believed Google’s autonomous vehicle technology was superior to that used by Tesla because it employs LiDAR technology.
Volvo has said LiDAR – which has a greater capability than cameras for functions such as depth of field in low light – has the potential to reduce severe road traffic accidents by as much as 20 per cent.
Yet the Swedish brand recently announced it will drop the technology from its EX90 SUV and ES90 electric liftback, including those bound for Australian showrooms, after a dispute with its LiDAR supplier.
MORE: Watch how a Tesla with Full Self-Driving handles being run off the road