Waymo test vehicle breaks through police cordon at London crime scene
A Waymo test vehicle in manual mode broke through a police cordon at a crime scene in Harlesden, London, during an investigation into a stabbing. The vehicle's validation driver was suspended and the company said its automated system would have stopped at the police tape.
What happened
A Waymo test vehicle drove through a police cordon on Harlesden High Street in west London on Wednesday evening during an investigation into a double stabbing.
Video showed the car breaking through police tape and driving past parked police cars with flashing lights. The vehicle was being operated in manual mode with a validation driver in full control, according to Waymo.
Reported impact
The vehicle disrupted police operations at an active crime scene. Waymo said after a brief interaction with police officers, the driver reversed the vehicle and safely exited the area.
Index analysis
Waymo said that had the automated driving system been engaged, it would have correctly identified the police tape and stopped the vehicle automatically.
The company suspended the validation driver pending investigation and is coordinating with its operations partner to address the incident.
Governance controls
Waymo is currently using test drivers to pilot vehicles around London as it maps streets ahead of an intended September launch for robotaxi services. The company suspended the driver involved in the incident.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.