LA passenger finds man hiding in trunk of self-driving Waymo, prompts fresh concerns about rider safety
A Los Angeles passenger found a man hiding in the trunk of a self-driving Waymo, prompting police response and renewed concern over rider safety.
A routine pick-up near MacArthur Park in Los Angeles turned into an unusual safety scare this week when a woman opened the trunk of an empty Waymo taxi and found a man inside. The moment, recorded on her phone, circulated online quickly and raised new questions about how secure rider-only autonomous cars really are.
Police were called to the scene. They checked the vehicle, spoke to the man, and left without making an arrest. Officers told FOX 11 that no crime had been identified. The questions, however, did not go away.
How the encounter unfolded
The passenger, Ollie Shirvani, said she expected the trunk to be empty. Instead, she found a man hiding in the trunk. She asked the man why he was in the trunk, to which he said that “they put me in the trunk.” He did not clarify who, or why, put him in the trunk, just blamed "people.”
Shirvani later said she simply wanted an explanation: who put him there, how he entered the vehicle, and whether the car had been circulating with him inside.
A second video, uploaded by the same user, showed the man being interrogated by the police.
Waymo said its Rider Support team contacted the passenger in real time and confirmed she was safe. The company called the situation “unacceptable” and said internal changes are being implemented to address it.
A string of safety questions
This comes only days after another Waymo vehicle rolled through an active police standoff in downtown Los Angeles, with officers aiming weapons at a suspect on the ground as the driverless car continued forward. A rider was inside during that incident as well.
Separately, more than 3,000 Waymo cars are under recall nationwide for a software issue tied to school bus stop arms, CBS News reported. That move has drawn scrutiny from transportation regulators.
Some riders told FOX 11 that the incidents are starting to build a pattern. “I hope they figure that out so that we, as women especially, feel safe,” passenger Erica Bell said. Another rider, Camden Campos, said she now checks every part of the car before sitting down.
According to the LA Times, Waymo confirmed that the man entered the trunk after another passenger forgot to close the doors properly after their ride.
For now, Waymo says its priority is tightening procedures around unattended vehicles and rider security.
