Woman Discovers Man in Trunk of Self-Driving Waymo in Los Angeles
Man Found Hiding in Trunk of Self-Driving Waymo in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES – A recent incident involving a self-driving Waymo vehicle has raised safety concerns about autonomous ride-sharing services. A woman in Los Angeles discovered a man hiding in the trunk of the Waymo taxi she had summoned, creating a perplexing situation that has garnered attention.
The event occurred earlier this week near MacArthur Park and was captured on video. The footage shows the man stating that "They" placed him in the trunk but providing no details about who "they" were. Los Angeles police were summoned to the scene but did not make any arrests, indicating that no crime had occurred, as reported by FOX 11.
"I just want to know why he was in the trunk. Who put him in the trunk? How did he get into the trunk?" questioned Ollie Shirvani, a local resident.
This incident comes on the heels of another concerning event involving a Waymo vehicle, which recently drove through the middle of an active police standoff. Officers were engaged with a suspect when the driverless car continued moving with a passenger still inside.
Compounding these concerns, Waymo recently recalled over 3,000 vehicles due to a software malfunction that caused some cars to ignore stopped school buses displaying their stop arms. This series of incidents has begun to affect riders’ confidence in the service.
"I hope they figure that out so that we, as women especially, feel safe in that kind of car," said passenger Erica Bell. Rider Camden Campos added, "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."
In response to the trunk incident, a Waymo spokesperson described the situation as "unacceptable" and confirmed that the company is "actively implementing changes to address this." They stated that the Rider Support team assisted the passenger involved and assured her safety, highlighting existing systems for such incidents while working to strengthen overall safety measures.
Police have not yet disclosed how the man entered the trunk or the reasons behind his presence there.
