--- title: "Waymo Calls Cops on Passengers With Assault Rifle" description: "Waymo called the cops on two passengers after noticing that they were handing an assault rifle while riding in one of its robotaxis." date: "2026-09-18" modified: "2026-09-18" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore.md" url: "https://futurism.com/advanced-transport/waymo-cops-passengers-assault-rifle" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Self-Driving Vehicles" --- # Waymo Calls Cops on Passengers With Assault Rifle ![A photo illustration of a Waymo robotaxi and AR-style guns.]() *Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/Futurism* Waymo called the cops on two youths in San Francisco after catching them handling an assault rifle while in the back of one of its robotaxis, according to local reports. Both passengers, a boy and a girl, have been arrested. On the morning of September 4, Waymo intervened and pulled over a vehicle after detecting a "violation of our terms of service involving a firearm," a company spokesperson [told the *LA Times*](), after which it alerted emergency services. Police were called to the scene in the city's Richmond District just before 4 AM, and conducted a "high-risk vehicle stop," a spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department [told *SFGATE*]()*.* When officers searched the car, they found a "ghost gun" — an untraceable, homemade firearm [assembled from kits or 3D-printed parts]() — imitating an AR-style assault rifle. They also found, less ominously, some "suspected marijuana and mace spray." The young pair were arrested and booked into a juvenile detention center, the spokesperson told *SFGATE*, and are facing charges related to illegally possessing a firearm. Their ages and identities haven't been released. Robotaxis rely on a host of cameras to observe their surroundings, and they also closely monitor what happens inside their cabs, making them an obviously bad choice to take a joyride in or possibly commit crimes. It remains unclear, though, what the teens intended by toting around their makeshift rifle. This isn't the first time Waymo has tipped off local law enforcement about its own passengers. In July, it pulled over a car and alerted the San Mateo Police Department after realizing that its riders, two 15-year-old boys, were [reportedly]() drinking in the backseat and shooting water beads out of a toy gun. There have also been incidents of unruly and possibly illegal behavior in its cars [that didn't lead to arrests](). As Waymos and other robotaxis become more popular, rowdy passengers will almost certainly become a more frequent problem. **More on robotaxis:** [*Oops! Many Tesla Cybercabs Actually Do Have Steering Wheels, Undercutting a Core Promise*]() ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()