Look, Ma, there are no hands!
Three boys turned a Waymo ride into a wind-on-their-hair joyride Friday afternoon in Santa Monica.
Local resident Rojia Shahsavani, who went out around 6:00 p.m. to deal with the problems, said she saw three young boys taking selfies and sitting in the open window of a white Waymo as the driverless car drove from Santa Monica to West LA.
“I ran into Waymo a car or two ahead of me in the left lane when I saw these kids start crawling out of the car,” Shahsavani told The Times. “I didn't focus too much on them because I thought they would just take a picture and go back to their car, which they didn't do.
Shahsavani took several photos of the incident, which was first reported by ABC7. He said he met a car at the intersection of Olympic Boulevard and 26th Street.
At first it was two boys in the back seat who were sitting on the window ledge facing east, according to Shahsavani, who estimated that the two were 12 to 14 years old.
Then the youngest of the three, the passenger sitting in front, Shahsavani who is believed to be close to 10 years old, joined the two and sat in the open window as the car passed on Stewart Street.
That's when Shahsavani said she stood up next to the car and tried to tell the boys to “sit down.”
However, the message was not received lightly.
“They ignored me, and one of them said he only spoke Italian,” she said. “You don't have to understand English to understand what I'm saying.”
Shahsavani said he then decided to call Waymo customer service as the car crossed Bundy Drive, from Santa Monica to West Los Angeles.
The children took selfies, one of which was seen holding a red canister.
Shahsavani said he immediately reached out to a Waymo agent, who told him that the company has the power to stop the car if it deems it to be dangerous. Shahsavani said Waymo told him more cameras could monitor the situation.
“We kept passing through the intersection, the car kept moving,” he said. “I kept waiting for Waymo to park, and they kept telling me, 'It's not a good place to park.'”
A Times inquiry into Waymo media relations was not returned. Lt. Lewis Gilmour, public information officer for the Santa Monica Police Department, said his department had not received any calls or reports about the incident. He said any witnesses should contact the department at (310) 458-8491.
Shahsavani said that he is very worried as the speed increases and the number of vehicles on the road.
“From Bundy [Drive] to Barrington [Avenue]everyone was going 30 to 35 kilometers an hour.” Then towards Sepulveda. [Boulevard]cars and drivers went up at high speed, then four lanes were opened.”
Shahsavani followed behind until the Waymo turned right in the area of Rancho Park and Cheviot Hills, the children still hanging out of the windows.
He said he was speaking because it was possible that the number of people ordered could include boys, other drivers or bystanders.
“Listen, I'm all about technology and innovation, but I didn't think Waymo was that concerned about what's going on and the misuse of the car,” Shahsavani said. “As technology continues to expand, public safety must evolve and continue.”
