Alex Samek, a principal in Proper Hospitality, which has a collection of hotels in California, was pulled over by police in the early morning hours this past Friday for being asleep behind the wheel, while the vehicle was still driving solo. His Tesla Model S was on autopilot while Samek was speeding south on Highway 101 when the vehicle was chased down by Palo Alto police and arrested at 3:37 a.m.
Police officers began following Samek’s car after spotting the Tesla moving along at 70 miles an hour, while it looked like the driver was passed out behind the wheel. They suspected the car was on autopilot mode, but the matter will be further investigated. In order to get the car to stop, a California Highway Patrol officer had to get in front of the Tesla to make it slow down and eventually pull over at a gas station.
When police officers looked into the car, the driver was still passed out. The officer who pulled him over said the driver appeared very drowsy and possibly sleeping, according to a local television news report. The driver was then awakened and allegedly failed a field sobriety test, and was arrested.
According to its LinkedIn profile Samek’s company, Proper Hospitality, designs, brands, and operates high-end lifestyle hospitality experiences under the Proper, Avalon and Custom brands. Proper Hospitality currently manages Avalon branded hotels in Beverly Hills and Palm Springs as well as the Custom Hotel in Playa Vista. The Company began rolling out the Proper brand with the opening of San Francisco Proper Hotel in September 2017. Over the next few years, additional Proper Hotels and Residences are slated to open in other U.S. cities, including Downtown Los Angeles Proper (Early 2019), Austin Proper (Early 2019) and Santa Monica Proper (Early 2019).
