Accused thief hops into driverless car — then can’t drive it away, California cops say

A man hopped into a driverless Jaguar to try to steal it but couldn’t figure out how to drive it away, California police reported.

The vehicle, which belonged to the ride-hailing service Waymo, had just dropped off a customer at 10:30 p.m. Saturday, March 2, when the man jumped into the driver’s seat, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release.

But the 33-year-old man couldn’t figure out how to take over manual control of the car, police said.

A Waymo representative warned the man to get out over the Jaguar’s communication system, police said. When he failed to exit the vehicle, the representative contacted police, according to the release.

Officers responded and arrested the man on a charge of attempted grand theft auto, police said.

California regulators on Friday, March 1, authorized Waymo to expand its fleet of driverless vehicles to Los Angeles and the wider San Francisco area, The Associated Press reported.

The vehicles have already been operating in downtown San Francisco.

This story was originally published March 4, 2024 at 12:12 PM with the headline "Accused thief hops into driverless car — then can’t drive it away, California cops say."