Waymo robotaxi reports teens shooting, drinking to police

A Waymo autonomous vehicle alerted San Mateo police on Monday after detecting two teenagers, aged 14 and 15, firing what appeared to be a real gun and showing signs of intoxication inside the vehicle Source: infobae. The company remotely disabled the car near 20th Avenue and El Camino Real, using a ruse about mechanical issues to prevent the teens from fleeing before officers arrived Source: excelsiormx.

The incident

At 2:10 p.m., a Waymo representative called 911 reporting that passengers were shooting from the vehicle and seemed intoxicated Source: infobae. Police treated the stop as high-risk, deploying stun weapons and a K9 unit. Inside, they found alcohol and a toy gun that fired gel balls (Orbeez) Source: excelsiormx. No injuries occurred, and the teens were released to their parents without formal arrest.

Waymo's monitoring

Waymo's vehicles are equipped with interior cameras and microphones, and the company states it can share information with authorities in emergencies Source: infobae. The quick coordination—real-time detection, remote disablement, and police notification—was praised by Officer Jeanine Luna: "They were able to disable the vehicle and used a ploy to tell the passengers, 'Oh, the car is having trouble'" Source: infobae.