offbeat
Police intercept tipsy teens after Waymo snitches for shooting Orbeez out of the car
Armed response and canine support called in for troublemaking duo ratted out by driverless car’s array of cameras
If you misbehave in the back of a taxi, your driver might report you to authorities. And if there's no driver, you should also expect no quarter. Two San Mateo 15-year-olds this week had a run-in with the law after their Waymo robotaxi called the cops on them.According to the San Mateo Police Department’s account of the matter, the teens treated a hired Waymo as their own personal battle taxi, firing Orbeez out of the car windows while sipping what police called "afternoon libations" - in plain terms, drinking alcohol and shooting water pellets.
Waymo’s cars are equipped with interior cameras that watch for incapacitated passengers, anyone smoking, unbuckled seatbelts, lost items, and cabin cleanliness. But they can also catch other rule breaking, including tipsy teens on a toy-gun joyride.
