Former employee accused of crashing into Waymo self-driving vehicle

PHOENIX — A male described as a disgruntled former Waymo driver has been arrested on suspicion of intentionally crashing a passenger car into just one of the company’s vans with self-driving abilities in close proximity to Phoenix, authorities claimed Thursday.

Tempe police claimed Raymond Tang, 31, was booked into jail Wednesday evening and is experiencing felony charges of aggravated assault and criminal harm, and misdemeanor counts of endangerment and reckless driving.

Waymo officials claimed Tang “engaged in related conduct, which resulted in misdemeanor charges for disorderly conduct and criminal harm from him in November 2019.”

The Arizona Republic documented in December that police in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler have documented at the very least 21 scenarios in the previous two a long time involving Waymo vehicles, which includes just one in which a male waved a gun at a Waymo van. Law enforcement also say a Jeep pressured vans off the highway 6 instances.

Chandler police failed to immediately return a contact Thursday seeking comment on regardless of whether they are investigating Tang.

Tempe police claimed they are working with Waymo.

Tang did not have an attorney when he manufactured a short preliminary visual appearance in Maricopa County Excellent Court. He only spoke to condition his title and date of beginning and to say he comprehended the launch terms established by a courtroom commissioner.

The commissioner ordered Tang to continue to be jailed on an $18,000 bond.

A assertion from Waymo called Tang “a disgruntled former Genesis10 auto operator” whose assignment with the business finished practically a yr in the past when he failed to meet security specifications.

Tempe police claimed Tang is accused of driving a passenger car recklessly in the city on the evening of Jan. thirty, swerving toward a Waymo auto operating in a handbook method in an clear endeavor to bring about a collision.

Law enforcement claimed on-board movie from the Waymo van and a further Waymo auto in the location just before the crash demonstrates Tang shifting his auto in entrance of the other vehicles and then braking tough to a quit in an clear endeavor to drive the vehicles to rear-conclude his auto.

They claimed Tang afterwards acknowledged “brake-checking”” the Waymo auto that hit the passenger car from driving.

The driver of the Waymo van experienced small accidents in the crash, police claimed.