A homeless man was arrested on suspicion of grand theft auto after he tried to steal a Waymo self-driving car in Los Angeles, NBC News reported. The incident happened on Saturday night after the man entered and tried to operate the driverless vehicle that had stopped to let out a passenger.
In a statement, the Los Angeles Police Department said that the man identified as Vincent Maurice Jones climbed into the white vehicle just after it had dropped off a passenger. That passenger, Maurice Jones, 33, "attempted to put the vehicle in 'Drive' but could not manipulate the controls," the LAPD said.
''On March 2, 2024, around 10:30 p.m., a fully autonomous driving vehicle, a white Jaguar sedan, dropped off a passenger on Main Street north of 1st Street. The suspect, later identified as 33-year-old Vincent Maurice Jones, entered the vehicle and sat in the driver's seat. Jones attempted to put the vehicle in ''Drive'' but could not manipulate the controls, '' read the police statement.
After noticing the intruder, a Waymo representative told Jones to get out via the car's online communications system. After he refused to do so, the company contacted the police. A Central Division police unit responded, and Jones was arrested for attempted Grand Theft Auto.
The police did not say whether he had been charged yet or was still in police custody.
In California, attempted Grand Theft Auto is punishable upon a successful conviction with up to three years in prison if charged as a felony, and one year when charged as a misdemeanor.
Chris Bonelli, a Waymo spokesman said no injuries were reported by the rider, and there was no damage to the vehicle.
Notably, Waymo, an Alphabet subsidiary, has been testing its fully autonomous vehicles on the streets of LA for more than a year. According to Futurism, Waymo was given the green light last week to officially expand its autonomous vehicle services into Los Angeles County.
