San Francisco police found themselves in a pickle when they stopped a Cruise autonomous Chevrolet Bolt EVs for not having its headlight on, only for one of them to scream “There ain’t nobody in it” as the vehicle drove off.

In the incident, captured on film, an officer remarks that there “ain’t nobody in it” before the car took off to what Cruise said was a safer location.

The company said the headlights issue was a result of human error. https://twitter.com/llsethj/status/1512960943805841410

Cruise, which is owned by General Motors and develops self-driving technology, has been testing autonomous vehicles (AVs) in the US.

Earlier this year it started allowing members of the public who join a waiting list to hail free night-time rides.

Cruise tweeted: “Our AV yielded to the police vehicle, then pulled over to the nearest safe location, as intended. An officer contacted Cruise personnel and no citation was issued.”

The company has produced a YouTube video for law-enforcement and other “first responders”, setting out how they should interact with AVs.

It says in the video that the vehicles have microphones that can identify the sounds of sirens. The “AV can detect lights and sirens so it will come to a stop”.

The video explains that officers should call a dedicated phone number to reach the company’s “escalation team” before approaching a vehicle.

“For example, the escalation team can do a number of tasks remotely, including unlocking the vehicle… and ensuring that the vehicle remains in a safe stationary position.”