Police intercept tipsy teens after Waymo snitches for shooting Orbeez out of the car

offbeat

Armed response and canine support called in for troublemaking duo ratted out by driverless car’s array of cameras

If you misbehave in the back of a taxi, your driver might report you to authorities. And if there's no driver, you should also expect no quarter. Two San Mateo 15-year-olds this week had a run-in with the law after their Waymo robotaxi called the cops on them.

According to the San Mateo Police Department’s account of the matter, the teens treated a hired Waymo as their own personal battle taxi, firing Orbeez out of the car windows while sipping what police called "afternoon libations" - in plain terms, drinking alcohol and shooting water pellets.

Waymo’s cars are equipped with interior cameras that watch for incapacitated passengers, anyone smoking, unbuckled seatbelts, lost items, and cabin cleanliness. But they can also catch other rule breaking, including tipsy teens on a toy-gun joyride. 

Waymo’s system halted the car and alerted the cops, sharing its GPS location. Responding officers' videos show at least four of them with weapons drawn on the vehicle, plus a German Shepherd. 

“While there was some ingenuity to this scheme, toy guns, water guns, and BB guns all pose real dangers, especially to an untrained eye,” said the San Mateo PD. “The simple handling of them can cause fear in passersby or to those who don’t get a good look. 

“Shooting projectiles at speed can cause real damage. And let's not forget the underage drinking. All bad ideas today for these two… Well, the Waymo might have been the smartest idea yet, because driving impaired would’ve made this so much worse.”

How the teens got a Waymo ride in the first place is unclear. Recent reports show the company tightening its ban on unaccompanied under-18s riders, with the exception in Phoenix for 14-17 year-olds. Customers are now being IDed mid-ride, according to users who report receiving age-verification calls en route to their destination.

The Reg asked Waymo for comment, but it did not immediately respond. ®