Waymo pulls over, calls cops on riders with a ghost gun

The Verge News

Summary

Waymo's robotaxi pulled over and called the police on juvenile passengers who had a ghost gun, based on a violation of the company's terms of service.

<figure> <img alt="23 July 2026, United States, Los Angeles: A self-driving Waymo taxian autonomous, driverless vehicleis on the roads ahead of the LA28 Summer Olympics. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa (Photo by Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images)" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="Photo: Michael Kappeler / picture alliance via Getty Images" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/gettyimages-2286668940.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Two people were arrested in San Fransico while riding around in a Waymo robotaxi after the cab pulled over and called the cops on them. The riders were juveniles in possession of a loaded AR-style ghost gun and were taken to a juvenile hall. While the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SFPD/posts/pfbid0yyfDEZT2ef3XK6JDoaJCu6WpVyw6JKfEe558Eeev8AWMT6tU8SMNPaa7DGpKbTv8l">police report</a> did not specify who was operating the autonomous car, Waymo later confirmed it was one of its vehicles to the <em>Los Angeles Times</em>.</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">A spokesperson told the <em><a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-09-12/juveniles-riding-in-waymo-arrested-after-police-find-ghost-gun">LA Times</a></em> that a "violation of our terms of service involving a firearm" was detected. At which point the car pulled over and alerted the authorities. </p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Earlier this year, a Waymo <a href="https://www.theverge.com/transportation/964647/waymo-will-fake-mechanical-problems-if-they-catch-you-doing-dumb-stuff">faked having mechanical problems</a> to pull over when …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/transportation/994405/waymo-pulls-over-calls-cops-on-riders-with-a-ghost-gun">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>
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# Waymo pulls over, calls cops on riders with a ghost gun Source: [https://www.theverge.com/transportation/994405/waymo-pulls-over-calls-cops-on-riders-with-a-ghost-gun](https://www.theverge.com/transportation/994405/waymo-pulls-over-calls-cops-on-riders-with-a-ghost-gun) [Skip to main content](https://www.theverge.com/transportation/994405/waymo-pulls-over-calls-cops-on-riders-with-a-ghost-gun#content) Your robotaxi can and will snitch on you\. Your robotaxi can and will snitch on you\. by Sep 13, 2026, 2:28 PM UTC ![Waymo Robotaxi](https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/gettyimages-2286668940.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400) ![Waymo Robotaxi](https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/gettyimages-2286668940.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=2400) Photo: Michael Kappeler / picture alliance via Getty Images [![Terrence O'Brien](https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/02/TERRENCE_BLURPLE.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0%2C0%2C100%2C100&w=96)](https://www.theverge.com/authors/terrence-obrien) Terrence O'Brien is the Verge’s weekend editor\. He’s covered the tech industry for over 18 years and knows a thing or two about synths\. Two people were arrested in San Fransico while riding around in a Waymo robotaxi after the cab pulled over and called the cops on them\. The riders were juveniles in possession of a loaded AR\-style ghost gun and were taken to a juvenile hall\. While the[police report](https://www.facebook.com/SFPD/posts/pfbid0yyfDEZT2ef3XK6JDoaJCu6WpVyw6JKfEe558Eeev8AWMT6tU8SMNPaa7DGpKbTv8l)did not specify who was operating the autonomous car, Waymo later confirmed it was one of its vehicles to the*Los Angeles Times*\. A spokesperson told the*[LA Times](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-09-12/juveniles-riding-in-waymo-arrested-after-police-find-ghost-gun)*that a “violation of our terms of service involving a firearm” was detected\. At which point the car pulled over and alerted the authorities\. Earlier this year, a Waymo[faked having mechanical problems](https://www.theverge.com/transportation/964647/waymo-will-fake-mechanical-problems-if-they-catch-you-doing-dumb-stuff)to pull over when two passengers were drinking alcohol and firing a toy gun out of the back of the car\. In that instance, the riders Waymo snitched on were also juveniles\. So let this be a lesson to teens: if you’re gonna do dumb stuff, don’t do it in the back of a robotaxi\. **Follow topics and authors**from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates\. - Terrence O'Brien ## The Verge Daily A free daily digest of the news that matters most\.

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