Waymo Robotaxi Detected Firearm, Alerted Police, Leading to Two Teen Arrests

In early September, two teenagers riding a Waymo autonomous vehicle in Los Angeles were arrested after the company detected what it described as a terms-of-service violation involving a firearm. Waymo pulled the car over and alerted emergency services, after which police allegedly found a loaded AR-style ghost gun inside the vehicle. The incident has raised broader questions about privacy expectations for passengers in self-driving cars. Concerns now center on what autonomous vehicles record, how that footage is stored, and under what circumstances it may be shared with law enforcement.