Waymo busts teens on joyride allegedly drinking alcohol, shooting water beads

On Monday, Waymo reported two 15-year-olds to the San Mateo Police Department who allegedly were drinking “afternoon libations” inside the autonomous vehicle and shooting water bead guns from the car, the department said in a Facebook post. The orange water beads were stored in Powerade bottles. Waymo stopped the car on El Camino Real just south of Highway 92 and called police, who detained the two teenagers.

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“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 Facebook post said. “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.”

The San Mateo Police Department did not respond to an immediate request for comment.

The ride violated several of Waymo’s rider rules for Bay Area passengers. Passengers under 18 must be accompanied by a family member or another adult, with permission from a parent or legal guardian. And though police did not detail what the teens were drinking, Waymo also prohibits any drug use, alcohol, smoking or vaping inside the vehicle. 

Waymo did not respond to an immediate request for comment. 

Even so, police admitted that the Waymo was one of the better choices the teens made.

“Well, the Waymo might have been the smartest idea yet,” according to the department’s post, “because driving impaired would’ve made this so much worse.”