Waymo Calls Police on Teenage Riders Who Were Drinking, Firing Fake Guns from Robotaxi: Cops

Two 15-year-olds were detained by San Mateo police after a Waymo representative monitoring a live interior feed reported the teens were drinking alcohol and firing what appeared to be a real weapon from a robotaxi, the San Mateo Police Department said. The representative called 911, shared the vehicle location with police and remotely disabled the car, telling the passengers it had a mechanical issue to avoid raising suspicion. Officers arrived and removed the teens from the vehicle. A search revealed the weapon was an Orbeez gun that fires water-absorbent beads, which can resemble a real firearm. The police department said on social media that toy guns, water guns and BB guns pose real dangers, especially to an untrained eye. The teens were released to their parents and not arrested. Police credited the teens for choosing a Waymo instead of drinking and driving.