Dispatch audio captures chaotic CHP moments stopped Tesla’s unconscious driver on autopilot at Glendale

GLENDALE, Calif. (KABC) – Breakdown audio reveals new details about the moments leading up to the arrest Thursday night of a seemingly unconscious driver behind the wheel of an autopilot Tesla that was traveling over an overpass of highway to Glendale.

The chaotic scene unfolded after 11 p.m. as a woman suspected of drunk driving and apparently passed out was followed by the California Highway Patrol, with officers attempting to stop the car.

The Tesla was traveling at low speed and came to a stop near Highways 134 and 5 after a CHP vehicle pulled up right in front of it.

In radio transmissions of the incident which were later obtained by ABC7, a dispatcher is heard saying, “The reporting party advises that his wife is unconscious in a Tesla. The vehicle drives itself.

“It ended up going into the right shoulder wall and, uh, keep going,” the dispatcher said, using a shortcut for a road collision.

RELATED: Tesla’s Suspected DUI Driver Reportedly Been On Autopilot Stopped At Glendale

The dispatcher is heard that the suspect’s husband was following the Tesla in a Volkswagen.

“Again, apparently the woman is unconscious in the vehicle,” adds the dispatcher.

“And I guess there are vehicles ahead, that’s what makes the vehicle slow down.”

CHP officers stopped the Tesla and woke the driver up, got him out and performed a DUI test. The CHP said the driver, identified as Karla Villanueva, 31, was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and held in the prison of the Metropolitan Detention Center.

Autopilot has often been misused by Tesla drivers, who have been caught driving drunk or even rolling in the back seat while a car was driving on a California highway.

VIDEO: Tesla driver apparently asleep on the LA freeway

The electric vehicle maker uses a camera-based system, a lot of computing power, and sometimes radar to spot obstacles, figure out what they are, and then decide what the vehicles should do. But researchers say he’s had problems with parked emergency vehicles and trucks perpendicular to his path.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened the Tesla probe after counting 11 crashes since 2018 in which Teslas on autopilot or cruise control struck vehicles where first responders used flashing lights, flares, an array of Illuminated arrows or cones warning of dangers.

In those crashes, 17 people were injured and one was killed, NHTSA said. An investigation could lead to a recall or other enforcement action.

Overconfidence in autopilot is, at the very least, strongly discouraged by NHTSA. A spokesperson told Eyewitness News in part:

“There are some advanced driver assistance features that can promote safety by helping drivers avoid crashes and lessen the severity of crashes that do occur, but as with all technologies and equipment on motor vehicles, drivers must use them correctly. “

The National Transportation Safety Board, which also investigated Tesla’s crashes, recommended that NHTSA and Tesla limit the use of autopilot to areas where it can be operated safely. He also recommended that Tesla be required to improve its system to ensure that drivers pay attention.

Last year, the NTSB blamed Tesla, drivers and lax NHTSA regulations for two crashes in which Teslas crashed under semi-trailers.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.