San Mateo police in California detained two 15-year-old teenagers after Waymo notified them of two passengers drinking alcohol and firing toy guns from a self-driving car while being transported around the city.
In a social media post on 6/7, the San Mateo Police Department stated, "After receiving the call and stopping the vehicle, we were able to safely remove both individuals from the car and determined that they were shooting Orbeez (water beads) from inside the vehicle while enjoying afternoon drinks".
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Two teenagers leaned halfway out the window, shooting toy guns from the self-driving taxi. Photo: KTLA5. |
Two teenagers leaned halfway out the window, shooting toy guns from the self-driving taxi. Photo: KTLA5.
Police also sent a message to parents, writing, "Parents, do you know where your children are? Waymo does!" They acknowledged the benefit of the autonomous system, adding, "Perhaps Waymo is the smartest idea ever, because driving while intoxicated would make things much worse".
Waymo vehicles are equipped with internal cameras and microphones. These systems can be used in emergencies or to "enhance safety and security", although the company stated it does not use facial recognition or other biometric tools to identify users.
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Police and the toy guns seized from the two teenagers. Photo: San Mateo Police Department. |
Police and the toy guns seized from the two teenagers. Photo: San Mateo Police Department.
This incident comes several months after an unidentified Waymo passenger used a self-driving taxi as a getaway vehicle following a theft of expensive sportswear from the Hot 8 Yoga gym in San Francisco. In that instance, Waymo had deleted all footage of the individual before police contacted them, allowing the suspect to escape.
By My Anh (according to Carscoops, ABC News).
