Man's ride to airport takes turn after Waymo gets stuck driving in circles

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- A man's ride to the airport took an unexpected turn after his Waymo got stuck going in circles.

Mike Johns was on his way to the Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix last Monday when the self-driving car got stuck circling a roundabout in a parking lot.

He described what was going through his head as it circled: "If we got to the tenth loop, do I need to jump into the driver's seat?... What happens next? Because the car is still in control. I could bench press 300-plus, but am I able to control this?"

Johns says the car did loops for several minutes before he figured out a fix and the car made it out of the parking lot.

He suspects the airport's layout may have gotten the car confused.

Waymo said the ride was only delayed five minutes and the passenger was refunded for the trip. He eventually made his flight back to Los Angeles.