The San Francisco Police Department is investigating Zoox’s collision with a parked car

The San Francisco Police Department is investigating an accident involving a Zoox autonomous vehicle that crashed into the driver’s side door of a parked car, TechCrunch has learned.

Officers responded to the crash, which happened around 2 p.m. local time on Jan. 17 near the intersection of 15th and Mission Streets, according to the department. Robotaxi Zoox was traveling down 15th Street when road ambassador Jamel Durden opened the driver’s side door of a 1977 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, according to Mission Local, which first reported accident.

Durden’s arm was reportedly broken during the crash, and Zoox’s vehicle sustained damage to its glass door. The San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) told TechCrunch that the Zoox vehicle was carrying passengers at the time, which had not been previously reported. The passenger was a Zoox employee, according to the company, and was not injured, SFPD confirmed.

The police department declined to provide a report of the incident to TechCrunch “(d) due to the fact that it is still an open investigation.” Zoox filed its own police report about the incident, the company told TechCrunch, but no additional details were requested. In a statement on January 20, Zoox said it was “cooperating with local authorities to provide an accurate account of the incident.”

The California Department of Motor Vehicles, which regulates autonomous vehicles in the state, has also met with Zoox about the Jan. 17 crash. The DMV told TechCrunch that Zoox filed the accident report “in accordance with California regulations.” The report is not yet publicly available.

Zoox is in the early stages of building a robotaxi service in San Francisco. In November, the company began offering it free rides for community members which is part of the early-rider program “Zoox Explorer”. The company operates a similar program in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This rollout has come with challenges. The Amazon-owned company issued a recall in December to fix a problem where some of the vehicles crossed the center lane and blocking the intersection. (Zoox is also published two different software updates during the previous recall in 2025 before starting to offer public rides.)

The January accident in San Francisco happened when Durden “suddenly opened” his car door into the path of the robotaxi, according to Zoox. The company said the robotaxi “identified an open door and tried to avoid it but contact was unavoidable.” (Durden could not be reached for comment.)

Zoox also said it offered Durden medical attention, which he allegedly refused. According to Mission Local, Durden refused medical attention until his car was towed.

“Security and transparency are fundamental to Zoox, and we are working with local authorities to provide an accurate account of what happened,” the company said in a statement.