A burglar used a self-driving Waymo vehicle as a getaway car during a break-in at a yoga studio in San Francisco’s Marina district, creating what authorities believe is the first case of its kind in the city.
The suspect entered Hot 8 Yoga and left within three minutes of the raid in January, carrying an armload of men’s activewear. Surveillance video viewed by the San Francisco Chronicle shows the autonomous vehicle dropping the individual off and idling outside before the stolen merchandise was placed in the trunk.
Nearly six months after the incident, San Francisco police have still not identified a suspect or made an arrest. The lack of progress comes despite the vehicle being equipped with 29 high-definition cameras, and the service requiring a credit card and user account to book a ride.
Sgt. Tim Faye, the detective investigating the case, told the Chronicle in a recent interview that he initially expected the technology to make the case easier to solve.
Local police routinely request video footage from recording-equipped vehicles like Waymos and Teslas to establish timelines and identify suspects, occasionally securing warrants to tow vehicles to preserve evidence.
Court records show San Francisco police issued a search warrant forcing Waymo to turn over account details and exterior video from the white Jaguar used in the escape. However, Faye stated that the account information did not lead to the suspect, adding that criminals frequently use burner phones or stolen identity data to book services.
The video evidence provided limited assistance. Faye said Waymo had already purged the interior footage by the time police served the warrant in April. In addition, the company blurred faces captured outside the vehicle to protect privacy.
“It’s highly unusual in the first place that a Waymo is even used by a suspect,” Faye said. “It was disappointing that the internal video was not able to lead to the recognition of a suspect.”
A company spokesperson said Waymo reviews all police requests for legal validity, pushes back on overly broad demands and does not use facial recognition or biometric identification. The company website states its latest vehicles maintain a 360-degree view, though Waymo does not publicly disclose its video retention schedule.
Autonomous getaway vehicles remain rare nationwide, largely because driverless taxi services operate in only a few major metropolitan markets.
A similar incident occurred last year in Los Angeles, where a suspect allegedly robbed a grocery store and entered a Waymo. In that instance, KTLA reported that police officers successfully pursued the vehicle, which pulled over automatically once officers activated their emergency lights.
The surveillance footage from inside the San Francisco studio shows the suspect wearing a light-colored hooded sweatshirt, but the face is not visible.
