- Waymo's self-driving car reported two intoxicated teens shooting toy guns inside the vehicle
- San Mateo Police detained the 15-year-olds after Waymo stopped the car in a parking lot
- Teens were firing Orbeez from the car while drinking, posing safety risks to passersby
In a first-of-its-kind incident, a self-driving Waymo reported two teenagers to police after they were found drinking alcohol and shooting toy guns in the back of the vehicle in California, USA. The San Mateo Police Department confirmed the incident, highlighting that the two 15-year-olds were intoxicated inside the driverless car whilst causing nuisance. Waymo stopped the car in a parking lot and notified the police, who detained the teens.
Video posted on Facebook showed at least five police officers, one with a dog, surrounding the car at a shopping centre just south of the interchange of El Camino Real and Highway 92.
"Parents do you know where your teens are? @waymo does! Two 15 year olds up to trouble in a Waymo this afternoon were detained after Waymo reported they were drinking and shooting from the vehicle," the police said in a statement.
"After calling us and stopping the car, we were able to safely remove both subjects and determined they were shooting Orbeez from the car as they sipped on afternoon libations while being chauffeured around town in the driverless vehicle."
The police warned that hurtling projectiles at passersby at speed could have caused real damage.
"While there was some ingenuity to this scheme, toy guns, water guns, and BB guns all pose real dangers, especially to an untrained eye. 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 lest not forget the underage drinking. All bad ideas today for these two," the police added.
Waymo Robotaxis
The Waymo robotaxis have internal cameras and microphones that may be used in an emergency or to "promote safety and security," according to Waymo's online support page. The images captured can also be monitored by the company's employees.
"Our autonomous vehicles are equipped with an advanced suite of sensors including cameras and microphones that act as the 'eyes and ears' of our Waymo Driver," Waymo states.
"We also use artificial intelligence and machine learning models (AI/ML) to help operate our services. We want to be absolutely clear: we do not use facial recognition or other biometric identification technologies to identify individuals."
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