Kids Sit In Windows As Waymo Travels Through Westside. Witness Alerts Company; Car Doesn't Stop

Look, Ma, nary hands!

Three boys turned a Waymo thrust into a wind-in-their-hair joyride precocious Friday day successful Santa Monica.

Local resident Rojia Shahsavani, who was retired astir 6 p.m. tackling errands, said she witnessed 3 pre-teen to teen boys taking selfies and sitting connected nan unfastened model ledges of a achromatic Waymo arsenic nan driverless conveyance traveled from Santa Monica into West L.A.

“I came crossed nan Waymo a car aliases 2 successful beforehand of maine successful nan left-hand lane erstwhile I saw these kids commencement crawling retired of nan car,” Shahsavani told The Times. “I didn’t attraction overmuch connected them astatine first because I thought they were conscionable going to return a speedy image and get backmost successful their car, which they didn’t do.”

Shahsavani took respective photos of nan incident, which was first reported by ABC7. She said she encountered nan conveyance astatine nan intersection of Olympic Boulevard and 26th Street.

At first, it was conscionable nan 2 boys successful nan backseat who sat connected nan model ledge arsenic it proceeded eastbound, according to Shahsavani, who estimated nan brace were 12 to 14 years old.

Then nan youngest of nan trio, nan front-seat passenger, whom Shahsavani believed was person to 10, joined nan duo successful sitting connected nan model opening arsenic nan conveyance passed Stewart Street.

That’s erstwhile Shahsavani said she pulled up alongside nan conveyance and attempted to show nan boys to “sit backmost down.”

Yet, nan connection wasn’t easy received.

“They ignored me, and 1 of them said he only said Italian,” she said. “You don’t person to understand English to understand what I was saying.”

Shahsavani said she past decided to telephone Waymo customer work arsenic nan conveyance crossed Bundy Drive, making its measurement from Santa Monica into West Los Angeles.

The kids, meanwhile, took selfies, while 1 appeared to beryllium holding a reddish canister.

Shahsavani said she quickly reached a Waymo agent, who told her nan institution had nan expertise to extremity nan car should it find a threat. Shahsavani said Waymo told her respective cameras could show nan situation.

“We kept passing intersections, and nan car kept going,” she said. “I kept waiting for Waymo to extremity nan car, and they kept telling me, ‘It’s not nan correct spot to extremity nan car.’”

A Times enquiry to Waymo media relations was not returned. Lt. Lewis Gilmour, Santa Monica constabulary nationalist accusation officer, said his section had received nary calls aliases reports astir nan incident. He said immoderate witnesses should interaction nan section astatine (310) 458-8491.

Shahsavani said she grew much concerned arsenic nan velocity limit accrued on pinch nan number of cars connected nan road.

“From Bundy [Drive] to Barrington [Avenue], everyone was going betwixt 30 to 35 miles per hour,” she said. “Then astir Sepulveda [Boulevard], postulation picked up and drivers were going faster, and past nan number of lanes opened up to four.”

Shahsavani followed down until nan Waymo turned correct successful nan area of Rancho Park and Cheviot Hills, nan kids still hanging retired nan windows.

She said she was speaking up because immoderate number of group could person been hurt, including nan boys, different drivers aliases bystanders.

“Listen, I’m each for exertion and innovation, but I didn’t deliberation Waymo was each that concerned astir what was happening and nan misuse of nan car,” Shahsavani said. “As exertion becomes much common, nationalist information has to germinate and drawback up.”