Believe it or not, this is not the first robotaxi-assisted theft.
A burglar used a Waymo to steal a bunch of yoga clothes and seemed to have gotten away with it, according to a report by SF Chronicle. The incident occurred all the way back in January and the suspect remains at large.
The burglar took a Waymo to a San Francisco yoga studio, robbed the place blind and then exited via that same robotaxi, according to security footage described by TechCrunch. Waymo turned over the suspect’s account information to authorities but it didn’t lead police anywhere useful.
Interestingly, authorities weren’t able to get interior footage of the ride itself. Waymo vehicles record everything, but don’t hold onto that footage forever. Reports have indicated that when cops filed a search warrant in April, it was already gone. Police weren’t able to identify the suspect using the vehicle’s exterior camera footage because it had been “blurred for privacy reasons.”
This is potentially good news for people worried about the long-term surveillance capabilities of Waymo vehicles, though we still have some questions as to when the company deletes old footage. Engadget has reached out to Waymo to ask for clarification on that and the blurred exterior camera footage.
Oddly, this isn’t the first time a ne’er-do-well has opted for a Waymo to help commit a crime. Someone used one of the company’s vehicles a getaway car after robbing a grocery store. That person, however, was almost immediately caught.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
