- Waymo called the cops on two teens who were allegedly drinking and shooting Orbeez from one of its vehicles.
- Authorities worked with Waymo’s Operations team to trick the teens into staying in the car because it was “having issues.”
- Police detained the teens and applauded Waymo for calling them.
A Waymo robotaxi became Robocop on wheels around the holiday weekend after two unruly teens reportedly took a joyride in the driverless car.
The San Mateo Police Department responded to the call about two teens “drinking and shooting from the vehicle,” according to a post from the department on Facebook. But it wasn’t bystanders who phoned 911—it was Waymo.
Waymo’s operations team phoned 911 around 2:00 p.m. when they observed the passengers “shooting out of the vehicle,” according to a statement provided to CNN by a San Mateo Police Department spokesperson. Waymo also reportedly warned authorities that the passengers might be intoxicated.
Police then coordinated a stop with the assistance of Waymo’s operations team. What kind of assistance, you ask? According to the spokesperson, the support team told the riders a little white lie that duped them into thinking that the vehicle was experiencing issues. This kept the duo in the car while police arrived on scene.
“[Waymo said] they were able to disable the vehicle and used a ruse to tell the passengers, ‘Oh the car is having trouble.’ So, we could set up and get into position,” said the spokesperson.
Police say that the two 15-year-olds cooperated with authorities during the stop and that nobody was hurt. And the gun that the Waymo team reported seeing? It turns out that the teens were actually shooting an Orbeez gel blaster from the robotaxi, though that might not have been immediately apparent to Waymo operators.
The teens were later released to their parents without charge. The case has been sent to the local district attorney’s office to determine whether or not the pair will face charges, which could include underage drinking and threatening behavior.
Waymo does have the ability to access live audio and video feeds inside its cars. The company says that it does this only in “urgent circumstances,” for example, when riders hang out of windows or hop into the driver’s seat. It’s not clear what led Waymo’s Operations to view the video feed in this case, but police do say that’s why the company reached out to authorities. Police applauded Waymo’s use of this feature and said Waymo was “right in calling” them.
Ironically, police also say that the teens taking a Waymo was a smart decision rather than drinking and driving. “Well, Waymo might have been the smartest idea yet, because driving impaired would’ve made this so much worse.”