On June 19, a Phoenix police officer pulled over a Waymo vehicle traveling in the wrong direction. The vehicle reportedly mistook construction signs and reportedly ran a red light before stopping in a parking lot to let the officer speak with one of Waymo's support representatives.
In approximately two and a half minutes of body camera footage published by local publication Central Arizona, toThe officer told Waymo that the car was traveling through a construction zone when it “went into oncoming lanes, which is really bad.” He then told a curious bystander what had happened, adding, “So I turned it on and it took off at the intersection.” A dispatch log reportedly said the car ran a red light and “SCARED” before stopping.
Waymo told multiple outlets that the vehicle drove into the oncoming lane due to “inconsistent construction signage” and was “unable to return to the proper lane.” The company said the car drove away from the officer “in an effort to clear the intersection” before entering the parking lot where the traffic stop occurred. The company reportedly said the stop lasted “approximately one minute.”
