Waymo calls police on Joy riding teens
You knew this would happen as automation driven by computers turns anyone with some basic skills loose on society. San Mateo police were flooded with calls of two boys driving around town shooting at people from an autonomous car. Police are still waiting for video from Waymo before deciding whether two teenagers accused of drinking alcohol and firing an Orbeez gun from inside one of the company’s self-driving vehicles could face additional charges. The incident unfolded around 2:10 p.m. Monday when a Waymo representative contacted the police to report suspicious behavior inside one of the company’s autonomous vehicles. “The Waymo rep who contacted us told us they saw what they described as a firearm in the vehicle, described it black in color, and at some point believed that the passengers were firing it outside of the vehicle,” “Even at one point saying they believed they saw a recoil.” The representative also reported that the passengers appeared to be intoxicated and had an open bottle of alcohol inside the vehicle, Luna said.
Believing they were responding to reports of a firearm being fired from a moving vehicle, officers coordinated with Waymo to conduct what police described as a high-risk traffic stop. Waymo remotely disabled the vehicle in a location where officers could safely respond. The company then informed the passengers that the vehicle was experiencing mechanical problems while officers made their way to the scene. Although the vehicle was disabled, its doors remained unlocked and the passengers could have exited if they wanted to, Luna said. Instead, they stayed inside until officers arrived, cleared the vehicle and detained the occupants. Investigators later determined the suspected firearm was an Orbeez gun, a motorized toy that fires water-filled gel pellets. While Orbeez guns are legal to possess, Luna said the one recovered by officers had been partially painted black, making it appear more like a real firearm.
“We’ve been seeing that a lot, where people are taking BB guns, water guns, toy guns, completely painting them over, and then in a lot of cases they actually do really look like real guns,” she said. Police said no injuries or property damage have been reported, and no victims have come forward. The two passengers, 14 and 15 years old, were released to their parents and were not arrested, but face an open alcohol container violation. The incident comes just weeks after another high-profile Waymo incident in Southern California. Luna also urged parents to keep an eye on their children during summer break and reminded the public not to alter the appearance of toy guns to make them resemble real firearms. “We want to give our kids freedom to have fun and enjoy their time off from school,” Police spokesperson offered: “Because children are not in school, just keep an eye on them. Make sure you know where they’re at. Make sure you know who they’re hanging out with.”
Autonomous humor
Apple is planning on getting into the electric car manufacturing business.
Only when their cars are finally out in the market for sale, it will be fully autonomous.
The steering wheel is optional. It will be sold separately for $5,000.
Why do you always have to wear a seatbelt in an autonomous car?
In case the computer crashes.
They finally figured out why the computerized self-driving car has crashed…
They didn’t install the driver.
If school buses become autonomous…
hackers are going to have a field day.
July 9th Birthdays
1996 – Georgie Henley, 1957 – Kelly McGillis, 1997 – Meg Delacy, 1965 – Courtney Love
1954 – Kevin O’Leary, 1978 – Jesse Watters, 1977 – Fred Savage, 1956 – Tom Hanks