Waymo alerts police after two 15-year-olds drink and fire toy guns from driverless car in San Mateo

Two teens were detained in San Mateo after drinking and shooting gel pellets from a driverless Waymo vehicle. The company remotely disabled the car and called police.

Waymo remotely stops ride after teens caught drinking and shooting inside driverless vehicle

Two 15-year-old boys were detained in San Mateo, California, after police said they were drinking alcohol and firing gel-based pellets from inside a driverless Waymo vehicle. The robotaxi company alerted authorities in real time and remotely disabled the car before officers arrived, abc7news.com reports.

The incident took place on Monday afternoon. Officers responding to the scene found alcohol and a toy gun — apparently painted over — inside the vehicle. The teens had been firing Orbeez, gel pellets comparable to paintballs, from the moving car.

"Around 2:10 we got a call from a Waymo rep saying there were two people in their vehicle, and they saw them shooting out of the vehicle," said Jeanine Luna of the San Mateo Police Department. "They also described the passengers as being intoxicated," she added.

Waymo vehicles are equipped with multiple interior cameras. According to Luna, a company representative was monitoring the ride in real time and provided officers with live updates as events unfolded. "Once they had the information, they did contact us immediately, told us what they saw, told us where they were, and actually disabled the vehicle for us," she said.

To keep the passengers inside until police could take up position, Waymo used a ruse. "They did say they were able to disable the vehicle and used a ruse to tell the passengers, 'Oh the car is having trouble,'" Luna said. Officers were subsequently directed to the vehicle, which had stopped near 20th Avenue and El Camino Real in San Mateo.

When police arrived, they carried out what was described as a high-risk traffic stop. Several officers were armed with stun guns, and a police dog was deployed. Authorities said both teens cooperated and that no one was injured by the pellets.

The San Mateo County District Attorney's Office is now deciding whether charges will be filed, including for underage drinking. Police said they also expect to review footage recorded inside the Waymo.

Luna praised the company's handling of the situation. "They were right in calling us and letting us know," she said.

San Mateo resident Gina Garces told abc7news.com she found the teens' behaviour concerning but welcomed Waymo's response. "I think that's dangerous," she said. "I like what the Waymo was doing and being protective."

Waymo had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)