A Cruise self-driving taxi disrupted emergency crews responding to a mass shooting in San Francisco last week, according to witnesses and videos posted online, reported The Guardian.
The shooting in the city's Mission District left nine people injured, including a 19-year-old woman and seven men ages 22 to 35, police said. But as first responders rushed to the chaotic scene, they found a Cruise autonomous vehicle stopped in their path, blocking access, a witness said.
Videos show an officer shouting at the stalled Cruise car, its logo visible on a rear door, to move from the middle of the street. “Blocking emergency, medical, and fire — I gotta get it out of here now,” the officer yells, flashing a light into the vehicle's windows.
Cruise replied in a series of tweets that its car “initially stopped as it was approaching an active emergency scene, then proceeded to perform a U-turn and pull over.”
The company claimed emergency vehicles were still able to get around the taxi, however, it did not address how long the car remained in place.
The company tweeted: “We're thankful to all our first responders for helping to keep us safe during situations like this and are committed to working collaboratively with them.”
The incident is the latest safety issue for self-driving cars in the streets of San Francisco. In May 2023, a Waymo driverless car wandered into the middle of an active fire in San Francisco, forcing firefighters to helplessly yell “No! You stay!” at the car as it drove forward. That same month, a Cruise driverless car drove into a taped-off crime scene. Cruise did not respond to a request for comment.
