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    Cop confronts driverless Waymo car that ‘freaked out’ and drove into oncoming traffic

    By Ronny Reyes,

    18 hours ago

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=188VZ6_0uF0JNUZ00

    Well, it definitely wasn’t drinking and driving.

    An Arizona cop got quite the surprise when he recently pulled over a white Jaguar SUV for an alleged slew of reckless actions near a construction zone — and the car turned out to be a driverless Waymo taxi with no one inside.

    Newly released body-cam footage from the Phoenix Police Department shows how the officer chased down the vehicle near Seventh Avenue and Osborn Road on June 19 after it allegedly drove into oncoming traffic, ran a red light and “FREAKED OUT,” according to dispatch records obtained by AZ Central .

    The officer’s confusion is audible after he goes up to the driver’s side of the vehicle — which is designed to pull over when it detects emergency lights and sirens — and sees that the car he stopped doesn’t have a driver.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2N3P5n_0uF0JNUZ00
    A Phoenix police officer stopped a Waymo car June 19 — and got the shock of his life. Phoenix Police Dept.

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    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=33tvXR_0uF0JNUZ00
    The car was empty, stunning the cop. Phoenix Police Dept.

    The driver’s window on the car owned by Waymo — which is run by Google’s parent company Alphabet, Inc. — rolls down.

    The vehicle’s audio system then connects the officer with a company representative, and the cop informs them of the problem.

    “So your car here drove into oncoming lanes of traffic,” the officer informs the company.

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    The rep responds, “OK, I’ll go ahead and take a look at that right now.”

    The cop adds, “Yeah, there’s like a little bit of a construction area, and it went on opposing lanes of traffic, which is real bad.”

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0x8DQo_0uF0JNUZ00
    A Waymo staffer was eventually deployed to assist the officer. Phoenix Police Dept.

    Another officer can seen at one point popping by to ask what is going on — and also appears visibly surprised see the car is empty.

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    He gasps in shock, too, when he learns that the driverless car veered into the oncoming traffic lane.

    A Waymo support staffer eventually arrives to assist the first responding cop.

    Phoenix officials later humorously noted that the incident ended without further need for action, as the officer was “UNABLE TO ISSUE CITATION TO COMPUTER,” according to the dispatch records.

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=374hQz_0uF0JNUZ00
    Waymo has been cleared to use its driverless cars in Phoenix. AP

    Waymo said in a statement that the vehicle had “encountered inconsistent construction signage” during the trip, causing it to move into an oncoming lane of traffic.

    The car was then “blocked” from moving back into the correct lane for about 30 seconds before the officer pulled it over, the company said.

    Phoenix is one of the few cities in the US that allows autonomous vehicles to drive on its roads, with Waymo cleared to operate even in the Arizona capital as of 2024.

    For top headlines, breaking news and more, visit nypost.com.

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