Report: Tesla driver allegedly fell asleep at the wheel with autopilot on, led police on high-speed chase

A Tesla on Autopilot reportedly led police on a high-speed chase after the driver had allegedly fallen asleep behind the wheel of the car.

“The driver was driving on the A70 from Bamberg [a town in Germany] in the direction of Bayreuth around 12 p.m. when the police patrol wanted to subject him to a traffic check,” police said in a report of the incident, adding that the man “did not respond to stop signals or repeated horns from the officers.”

By the time police caught up with the Tesla, they found the man “reclining in the seat with his eyes closed and his hands off the steering wheel.”

Police said the 45-year-old man “showed drug-typical abnormalities” and believe he may have been under the influence.

They also found a “steering wheel weight” in the footwell of the car, which they believe was used to trick the car into thinking his hand was on the wheel, thereby allowing it to drive on it’s own through autopilot.

Police have confiscated the man’s license as they investigate the incident. The man is likely to face charges for endangering traffic.