Food Delivery Robot Goes Rogue Tears Through Hollywood Neighborhood Caught On Video

LOS ANGELES, CA. (THECOUNT) — Kaiya Reel says she became the latest Los Angeles resident to experience problems involving a Coco food delivery robot after one allegedly tore through her East Hollywood garden and dragged part of her fence into the street over the weekend.

Reel said she was inside her home when she heard loud noises coming from outside. When she went to investigate, she discovered one of the small pink autonomous delivery robots in her yard.

“I came out here, and I found the Coco in my garden,” Reel told KTLA. “It had got my fence caught up in its wheel. It uprooted a whole bunch of plants in my garden and then just drove away with the fence attached to it.”

According to Reel, the robot did not stop after damaging the property. Instead, she said it continued moving down the street while dragging fencing material and palm fronds behind it.

“I chased after it and looked like a total crazy person, running after a robot in the middle of the street and yelling at it,” Reel said.

She added that the robot appeared to attempt to maneuver around her when she tried to block its path.

“I was trying to block it and get in its way, and it would try to go around me,” Reel said.

Reel stated that as the robot traveled down the roadway, the fencing and palm fronds it was dragging whipped against parked vehicles along the street. No injuries were reported.

Neighbor Roman Henson said she heard unusual sounds during the incident and turned to see the robot entangled in the fencing.

“I heard this crunching sound and turned around,” Henson told KTLA. “The robot had driven through the little fence and was dragging it.”

Residents in the East Hollywood neighborhood told KTLA that the pink Coco robots are a frequent sight in the area. Some said it is not uncommon for the devices to behave unpredictably while navigating sidewalks and streets.

Henson joked about the growing presence of autonomous technology in the community, referencing both food delivery robots and self-driving vehicles.

“We’ve got the Cocos, the Waymos, and they’re coming for us,” she said.

The incident has renewed concerns among some residents about accountability and oversight surrounding autonomous delivery technology operating in residential neighborhoods. Reel said she believes there needs to be clearer responsibility when damage occurs.

“I think the part that worries me is that these companies can come in and dump their technology in our community and there’s no sense of accountability,” Reel said. “It just feels like an accident waiting to happen.”

According to the report, this is not the first time food delivery robots have been involved in local incidents. In one prior case, a Coco robot was captured on camera colliding with an ambulance. In another instance, a robot from a different company was seen knocking over a parked motorcycle. There was also a reported situation in which an autonomous robot stopped abruptly in front of a man using a mobility scooter.

Reel said she has begun documenting the robots operating in her neighborhood. After contacting the company that operates the Coco robots, she said she was informed she would be reimbursed for the damage to her garden. A company spokesperson reportedly told her that internal measures would be implemented to prevent similar incidents in the future.

No city enforcement action related to this specific incident has been announced. The situation remains a point of discussion among residents as autonomous delivery technology continues expanding throughout Los Angeles neighborhoods.

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