San Francisco Police Department investigates crash between Zoox and parked car

According to TechCrunch, the San Francisco Police Department is investigating an accident in which a Zoox self-driving car crashed into the driver’s side door of a parked car.

According to the department, officers responded to the crash near the intersection of 15th Avenue and Mission Street on January 17 at around 2 p.m. local time. According to Mission Local, which first reported the incident, the Zoox robot taxi was traveling down 15th Avenue when a street ambassador named Jamel Darden opened the driver’s side door of a 1977 Cadillac Coupe DeVille.

Darden reportedly suffered a severe hand injury during the crash, and the Zoox vehicle sustained damage to its glass door. The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) told TechCrunch there were passengers in the Zoox vehicle at the time, but the incident had not previously been reported. SFPD confirmed that the passenger was a Zoox employee and was not injured, the company said.

The police department declined to provide an incident report to TechCrunch.[d]Due to the fact that it is still an open investigation. ” Zoox has filed its own police report about the incident, the company told TechCrunch, but no additional details were requested. Zoox said in a Jan. 20 statement that it is “working with local authorities to provide an accurate account of the incident.”

The California Department of Transportation, which regulates self-driving cars in the state, also met with Zukes about the Jan. 17 crash. The DMV told TechCrunch that Zoox filed an accident report “in accordance with California regulations.” That report has not yet been published.

Zoox is in the early stages of building a robotaxi service in San Francisco. In November, the company began offering free rides to members of the public participating in its “Zoox Explorer” early rider program. The company operates a similar program in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This development came with challenges. In December, the Amazon-owned company announced a recall to fix an issue where some vehicles were crossing the center lane and blocking crosswalks. (Zoox also issued two different software updates during the recall in early 2025, before it began offering rides to the public.)

Zoox said the January crash in San Francisco occurred when Darden “suddenly opened” his car door and drove into the path of the robotaxi. The company said the robotaxi “identified an open door and attempted to avoid it, but contact was unavoidable.” (Mr. Darden could not be reached for comment.)

Zoox also offered Mr. Darden medical treatment, which he declined, he said. According to Mission Local, Darden refused medical treatment until the car was towed away.

“Safety and transparency are our cornerstones at Zoox, and we are working with local authorities to provide an accurate account of the incident,” the company said in a statement.