Two teens reportedly fired fake guns from a moving Waymo in San Mateo, and the robotaxi went full robocop by pulling over and calling the police

by Brad Anderson

Two teenagers learned the hard way that a robotaxi makes a lousy accomplice. The pair were arrested in San Mateo, California, earlier this week after it came out that they had allegedly been shooting Orbeez (water beads) and drinking alcohol in the back of one of Waymo’s self-driving vehicles, which promptly called police and parked in a lot until officers arrived. The snitch, it turns out, was the ride itself.

Local media reports place the two 15-year-olds in the Waymo on Monday afternoon, cruising the streets and leaning out the windows with realistic-looking guns as they allegedly fired small polymer Orbeez beads into the road.

Read: Waymo’s Self-Driving Cars Can’t Stop Diving Into Floods, So It Paused 5 Cities

It’s unclear how Waymo was first alerted to the teenagers, whether the vehicle flagged the activity on its own, whether the in-car cameras caught it and pinged the nearest command center, or whether a witness called it in. Whatever the case, Waymo pulled the vehicle into a parking lot so police could safely apprehend the duo.

Waymo vehicles carry internal cameras and microphones that may be used in an emergency or to “promote safety and security,” per the company’s support page, though the firm says it does not use facial recognition or other biometric tools to identify riders.

The San Mateo Police Department responded and were shown approaching the driverless vehicle with their guns drawn prior to the arrests.

A Dramatic Arrest

“There was some ingenuity to this scheme, toy guns, water guns, and BB guns all pose real dangers, especially to an untrained eye,” police wrote in a Facebook post. “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 let’s not forget the underage drinking. All bad ideas today for these two.”

The department also needled the pair with a note to parents, writing “Parents do you know where your teens are? Waymo does!” and conceded one point in their favor, that “The Waymo might have been the smartest idea yet, because driving impaired would’ve made this so much worse.”

Local authorities have yet to reveal whether the two teenagers have been charged in the case or have simply been warned not to do it again.

This incident comes several months after an unidentified Waymo rider used one of the self-driving robotaxis as a getaway vehicle after stealing several pieces of expensive activewear from the Hot 8 Yoga studio in San Francisco. In this case, Waymo had already deleted all footage of the man by the time it was contacted by police about the theft, so unlike these kids, he was able to get away.

San Mateo Police Department