Overview
- Body‑camera video released June 8 shows a driverless vehicle stopped sideways on a Dallas street while crews responded to a gas explosion that killed three people on May 28, 2025.
- Dallas County Deputy Constable Jonathan Banda manually entered and moved the empty vehicle after Waymo’s remote team connected; the footage records the remote dispatcher asking for the officer’s name, badge number, and agency before unlocking the car.
- Waymo says the car was completing a turn and yielding to traffic, and it highlighted a team that trains first responders and a remote‑assistance protocol used to regain control.
- Witherite Law Group and others point to a similar incident in Austin months earlier when a Waymo vehicle blocked an ambulance, and they say the company’s “learning opportunity” responses are insufficient without binding standards or penalties.
- The dispute exposes gaps in local authority and oversight over autonomous fleets and raises new questions about liability, mandatory first‑responder procedures, and whether cities will seek enforceable rules or fines.