Waymo, the self-driving ride-hailing service owned by Alphabet, Google’s parent organization, successfully prevented a car theft attempt involving one of its autonomous electric Jaguars, as reported by CBS News and various other sources.

The event took place early Thursday morning in downtown Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) received a report of an attempted vehicle theft shortly after midnight, as outlined by the *Los Angeles Times*. When officers arrived, they found a man seated in the driver’s position of a Waymo car. The individual, who appeared to be under the influence, reportedly accessed the vehicle from the passenger side before moving to the driver’s seat. Generally, Waymo cars function without any occupants in the driver’s seat, unless during particular testing activities involving company personnel.

Waymo informed the *LA Times* that its vehicles are built to thwart unauthorized control. The automated driving system cannot be overridden, and the cars come equipped with multiple security measures. These features include evasive maneuvering, sounding the horn, announcing that 911 is being dialed, and retracting external door handles to block entry. If a person does get inside, Waymo’s rider support team is notified immediately and can instruct the individual to leave the vehicle. If the person declines, as occurred on Thursday, law enforcement is summoned.

Waymo claims that such incidents are uncommon. Out of the five million rides the company has offered, only a “handful” of theft attempts have taken place. In this instance, the man who entered the vehicle was ultimately released by police at the location.

Waymo’s autonomous vehicles are currently operational in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Phoenix, with intentions to extend to Austin, Atlanta, and Miami soon, as mentioned on the company’s website.