San Mateo police said a Waymo robotaxi reported two 15-year-olds who were allegedly drinking and firing projectiles from inside the driverless car, a small local incident that says plenty about what a ride in an autonomous vehicle can involve: cameras, remote support, and, when the company decides the trip has crossed a line, police.
The San Mateo Police Department said in a Facebook post on Monday that Waymo contacted officers and stopped the vehicle after reporting that the teenagers were “drinking and shooting from the vehicle.” Police opened the post with a line aimed squarely at parents: “Parents do you know where your teens are? @waymo does!”
According to the department, officers detained the two teenagers after Waymo called police and brought the car to a stop. Police said they removed both occupants safely and determined that the teenagers had been firing Orbeez from the vehicle while drinking.
Orbeez are small polymer beads that swell and soften when soaked in water. Police did not state exactly what device the teenagers allegedly used to fire them. The department’s post suggested a toy gun, water gun, or BB-style device, and one photo showed a painted-over SplatRBall toy gun, a product type that fires water beads. Another photo showed two Powerade bottles filled with orange water beads.
A video posted by San Mateo police showed several officers approaching the Waymo with guns drawn. That detail is the part most likely to stick with anyone who has watched robotaxi companies sell these rides as frictionless transportation. A toy that looks enough like a weapon, a sealed vehicle, and a remote report to police can turn a dumb teen stunt into an armed police response.
San Mateo police defended the response in the same post, saying that projectiles fired at speed can cause damage. The department also pointed to the alleged underage drinking, adding that using a Waymo avoided the more dangerous possibility of impaired driving.
What Waymo says about video access
Waymo’s own support page says its support team may review video in some cases, including after an issue is reported. The company also says that in more urgent situations, support staff may access live video during a trip.
That policy matters here because San Mateo police said Waymo both reported the alleged behavior and stopped the car. The department’s post does not explain who at Waymo saw what, whether the report came from live monitoring, later review, an automated alert, or some other channel. It also does not say whether any charges were filed.
Waymo did not immediately respond to a request for comment from 404 Media, according to that outlet. The company, owned by Google, has pitched driverless rides as a way to remove human-driver risk from urban transportation. This incident shows the other half of that bargain: the car may not have a driver, but the ride is still watched closely enough that the company can call police when it believes passengers are creating a hazard.
This story draws on original reporting from 404 Media.
