A man is facing an attempted grand theft auto charge after trying — and failing — to steal a self-driving taxi in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday night.
The LAPD said in a statement Sunday that Vincent Maurice Jones, 33, got into a fully autonomous Waymo car just after it dropped off a passenger on Main Street north of 1st Street, near to City Hall, around 10.30 p.m. on Saturday.
The suspect got into the driver’s seat — but the alleged theft did not go according to plan.
“Jones attempted to put the vehicle in ‘Drive’ but could not manipulate the controls,” the LAPD said.
A Waymo representative was then able to speak to Jones remotely via the car’s online communications system and told him to leave the vehicle, police said. When he did not, the representative called the police. Jones did not follow the instructions, and the representative contacted the LAPD, who arrived and arrested him, the statement added.
The police did not say whether he had been charged yet or was still in police custody. It is not known whether he has legal representation.
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