San Francisco: Burglar Uses Autonomous Waymo Robotaxi as Getaway Car

The streets of San Francisco have witnessed a bizarre, high-tech twist on the traditional heist. In what police describe as a probable first for the city, a burglar utilized an autonomous Waymo robotaxi as a getaway vehicle after breaking into a Marina District yoga studio.

A High-Tech Escape

The break-in occurred at Hot 8 Yoga under the cover of a January night. Surveillance footage from inside the studio showed the suspect, clad in a light-colored hoodie, quickly entering the business. In less than three minutes, the thief gathered an armload of men's activewear. The idling Waymo, functioning as the perfect unsuspecting accomplice, waited patiently outside.

The burglar stuffed the stolen merchandise into the trunk of the self-driving Jaguar, hopped into the back seat, and was whisked away down the street without a human driver ever being involved.

Investigation Hits a Dead End

San Francisco police naturally assumed that the heavily monitored Waymo vehicle would provide ample evidence to solve the crime. The cars are equipped with dozens of cameras, and ordering a ride requires an account linked to a credit card. Detectives secured a search warrant to obtain the user's account information and video footage from the company.

However, the investigation quickly stalled. According to Sgt. Tim Faye, the account was likely set up using stolen information or a burner phone, leading nowhere. Furthermore, the video evidence proved unhelpful; by the time the search warrant was executed in April, Waymo had not retained the interior footage, and the exterior cameras had automatically blurred faces for privacy reasons.

Nearly six months after the break-in, the tech-savvy burglar remains at large.