Two 15-year-olds got caught in an unusual situation involving a Waymo self-driving car in California. The teens were reportedly drinking and shooting Orbeez—those small polymer beads—from inside the vehicle. The San Mateo Police Department shared the story, highlighting a video where officers approached the Waymo with guns drawn.
Orbeez expand and become squishy when wet, and the teens used a toy gun that shoots these beads. A photo showed a painted-over SplatRBall toy gun and two Powerade bottles filled with orange water beads. The police implied the teens used toy water guns or similar devices while sipping drinks inside the car.
The police post joked, “Parents do you know where your teens are? Waymo does!” They also noted that driving impaired would have made things much worse, calling the use of the Waymo “the smartest idea yet” under the circumstances.
Waymo’s Role and Response
Waymo, owned by Google, said its support team may review video footage from their vehicles in certain cases. They can even access live video during urgent trips, but the company didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on this incident.
This isn’t the only incident involving Waymo cars during the Fourth of July celebrations in San Francisco. Several vehicles reportedly drove over illegal fireworks left in the streets. One unoccupied vehicle caught fire after hitting a small firework. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.
The fire department and local teams helped put out the fire and remove the vehicle safely. Waymo also shared that another vehicle ran over a different illegal firework but did not suffer damage. They reached out to the rider involved to check on them.
Traffic delays affected some Waymo operations on July Fourth. A spokesperson said roadside assistance cleared the affected vehicles. The company said it is evaluating these events and learning from them to improve safety and performance.
Wider Safety Concerns in California
Beyond Waymo, local police in Folsom investigated a different incident involving a teen riding an illegal electric motorcycle. The teen threw an object through a car window. This prompted the Folsom Police Department to increase enforcement on reckless riding and illegal electric vehicles.
Most e-bikes are legal for kids and come with pedals. Electric motorcycles have foot pegs, can go much faster, and are illegal on public streets, sidewalks, and bike paths. Police have seen both types involved in dangerous behaviors like weaving through traffic and riding where they shouldn’t.
Andrew Bates from the Folsom Police said, “The education component has kind of happened, but what we’re going towards right now is more enforcement.” He added that officers will start issuing more tickets for violations.
Bates stressed the risks for riders, saying, “We want to make sure they’re following the rules of the road and that they appreciate the danger. Suddenly zipping into traffic could cause serious injury or death. We don’t want to see that happen.”
The police impounded the electric motorcycle involved in the vandalism and sent the case to the district attorney’s office. Parents are worried about teens riding without helmets and in the middle of the road, raising safety concerns.
Meanwhile, San Francisco’s Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office acknowledged traffic delays on July Fourth. They said safety was their top priority and promised talks with public and private partners to make future events smoother for the more than 100,000 people in the area.
Based on
- Cops Say Waymo Snitched on Teens for Allegedly Drinking and Shooting a Toy Gun — 404media.co
- Video shows Waymo driving over illegal firework in San Francisco – CBS San Francisco — cbsnews.com
- Waymo looking into vehicles driving over fireworks in San Francisco, including 1 that caught fire – CBS San Francisco — cbsnews.com
- Folsom police step up enforcement on reckless riding, illegal e-motorcycles – CBS Sacramento — cbsnews.com
