Full Breakdown
Waymo Driverless Car Blocks First Responders After Dallas Apartment Explosion
6/5/2026, 7:56:24 AM
Incident Overview
A natural-gas leak ignited a five-alarm fire at The Clyde apartments in Dallas’s Oak Cliff neighborhood, killing three residents—including Marisol Perez, her infant son, and activist Sylvia Collins—and injuring five. Over 100 firefighters responded. A Waymo driverless car was parked sideways on East 9th Street, obstructing fire-engine access until Deputy Constable Jonathan Banda manually moved it.
Timeline
- Early Thursday: gas leak reported at The Clyde apartments.
- Minutes later: explosion triggers a five-alarm fire.
- Within two minutes: fire crews arrive.
- Shortly after: Waymo vehicle begins a three-point turn and stops across the fire lane.
- 1 min 30 s later: Deputy Constable Jonathan Banda contacts Waymo remote assistance.
- ~3 min 30 s after contact: vehicle unlocked; officer drives it away.
Official Statements & Responses
Waymo said the vehicle was completing a three-point turn, yielding to traffic, and that the street stayed clear for other vehicles. The company said its vehicles are built with safety as a core principle and that it has trained over 35,000 first responders nationwide. Dallas fire officials confirmed the explosion stemmed from a gas leak, and the National Transportation Safety Board opened an investigation.
Criticism & Opposition
Law-enforcement expert Alex Del Carmen called the incident “incredibly concerning,” arguing that autonomous-vehicle systems must grant emergency personnel immediate control. He referenced a March case where a Waymo car blocked an ambulance responding to a mass shooting in Austin, saying current regulations are inadequate and accountability unclear when such systems impede life-saving response.
On-the-Ground Reports
Body-camera footage shows Deputy Constable Jonathan Banda shouting “Go forward! Go!” as he reaches for the Waymo steering wheel. After a minute-long dialogue with remote assistance, he gains access, enters the vehicle, and drives it away, clearing the fire lane for arriving engines.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Waymo asserts traffic flowed and the lane stayed clear, yet the deputy’s testimony and video show the car physically blocking fire trucks. Officials attribute the explosion to a gas leak from a damaged pipeline, but drilling records suggest a construction crew may have compromised the line. The exact timing of the remote-assistance unlock remains unclear.
Verbatim Quotes
- “You’ve got to get out the way,” — Jonathan Banda, Dallas County Deputy Constable
- “Can you hear me?” — Waymo remote assistance voice
- “system seems to be having a minor issue.” — Waymo remote assistance voice
- “I mean, it’s incredibly concerning, right?” — Alex Del Carmen, law-enforcement expert
- “If I can manually move it, I’ll move it,” — Jonathan Banda, Dallas County Deputy Constable
- “safety is fundamental to everything we do.” — Waymo spokesperson
What’s Next
The National Transportation Safety Board will continue its probe into the gas-pipeline failure, while Waymo says it will review its remote-assistance protocols and expand training for first responders. Dallas officials are evaluating policies to ensure autonomous vehicles do not impede emergency access.
