Pop Culture

Rick Ross' Fears About Smart Cars Resurface After Waymo Snitches on Two California Teens

Ross' 2023 comments circulated after a Waymo alerted police to two teenage riders in California accused of drinking alcohol and firing toy guns.

Rick Ross wearing sunglasses and a black suit, accessorized with a thick chain necklace, against a peach background.
Image via Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images

Rick Ross' past fears about autonomous cars are getting attention after a Waymo recently reported on two teenage passengers in California.

The renewed discussion began after an X user shared a screenshot of a 2023 headline about the rapper admitting he was afraid of Teslas.

“You all laughed at rick ross for this in 2023 but i said it then and will again: he's right and he should say it,” the user said.

According to SFGATE, the San Mateo Police Department said Waymo reported two 15-year-olds on Monday (July 6) for allegedly drinking "afternoon libations" and shooting orange water beads from Powerade bottles while inside the vehicle.

“Parents do you know where your teens are? @waymo does! Two 15 year olds up to trouble in a Waymo this afternoon were detained after Waymo reported they were drinking and shooting from the vehicle,” the San Mateo Police Department shared in a Facebook post. “After calling us and stopping the car, we were able to safely remove both subjects and determined they were shooting Orbeez from the car as they sipped on afternoon libations while being chauffeured around town in the driverless vehicle.”

The statement continued, “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 simple handling of them can cause fear in passerby’s or to those who don’t get a good look. Shooting projectiles at speed can cause real damage. And lest not forget the underage drinking. All bad ideas today for these two. Well, the Waymo might have been the smartest idea yet, because driving impaired would’ve made this so much worse.”

In a 2023 post shared to his Instagram Stories, Rick Ross said he was avoiding smart cars out of fear that the technology could potentially be used to track him.

“I've never ridden in a Tesla, and the reason being is because I've always had in the back of my mind the government could tap into the brain of the car,” he said at the time. “[The government could say], ‘OK, where's Rick?’ … Bring him in for questioning.”

However, Ross may have changed his tune since then. According to Auto Evolution, the rapper purchased a Tesla Cybertruck in April 2024.

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