Photo: Getty Images
A food delivery robot was seen rolling past an active crime scene in front of Hollywood High School in Los Angeles, California, on Tuesday (September 13).
Officers were responding to reports of an active shooter and the school and had taped off the sidewalk. They were directing people away from the school when the delivery robot rolled up.
William Gude, who runs the @FilmThePoliceLA Twitter account, was on the scene to document the police response and started recording the robot as it tried to make its way down the sidewalk.
It seemed confused at first, trying to navigate around the yellow police tape. A cameraman at the scene lifted the police tape, and the robot rolled through the crime scene, right past several officers.
"I just saw it coming, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing," Gude told Gizmodo on the phone. "I thought to myself, 'What did I just capture?'"
Ultimately, the officers determined the phone call reporting the shooting was a hoax, and the lockdown at the school was lifted.
The robot is owned and operated by Serve Robotics. The company told Gizmodo the robot's supervisor thought that officers waved it through.
"Serve's standard operating procedure is to reroute and not cross barrier tapes; however, in this instance, the robot supervisor believed they were being waved through. We're taking steps to ensure our operating procedures are followed in the future," Aduke Thelwell, a spokesperson for Serve Robotics, said.