Updated Sept. 12, 2026, 3:19 p.m. ET
Two minors were arrested for possessing a “ghost gun” in a self-driving car after Waymo reportedly called authorities on them, according to police and news reports.
The minors, a boy and girl whose ages and names weren’t released, were in an autonomous vehicle in San Francisco on Sept. 3 when, just before 4 a.m. local time, police got a report about passengers having a firearm, according to a statement from the San Francisco Police Department.
Officers conducted a “high-risk vehicle stop” and arrested the pair. They were found with an AR-style assault rifle that was a “ghost gun,” a weapon that lacks a serial number to trace and can be bought in parts and assembled or sometimes 3D printed. Officers also found suspected marijuana and mace spray, the police department said.
The Los Angeles Times and SFGATE reported that the vehicle was a Waymo, and that company employees pulled the vehicle over and called police on the suspects.
Waymo told the Times in a statement that the company pulled the car over after detecting a “violation of our terms of service involving a firearm.”
USA TODAY has reached out to the company and police for more information.
Waymo has previously reported passengers to police for their behavior. In July, the San Mateo Police Department in the Bay Area said its officers responded after Waymo reported that two 15-year-olds were drinking and shooting from one of its vehicles. It turned out that the teens were shooting Orbeez water beads from the car while drinking, police said.
“Parents do you know where your teens are? @waymo does!” the San Mateo Police Department said in a post on social media.
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