Two teenagers claimed the Tesla they were riding in was on autopilot when it crashed into a sheriff's cruiser in Florida, according to WKMG.
A Flagler County deputy spotted a white 2018 Tesla driving on the wrong side of the road after it left the Wawa gas station at State Road 100 in Palm Coast, the sheriff's office said. The car stopped and then backed into a deputy's patrol vehicle, officials said.
The deputy conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle, and reporters said a 14-year-old and a 15-year-old were in the Tesla. One was sitting in the front passenger seat and the other was in the backseat when the deputy approached the car, according to FCSO. The teens reportedly told the deputy they were traveling from Charleston, South Carolina to visit one of their fathers.
When asked who was driving, they claimed the Tesla was driving itself on autopilot when the crashed happened, deputies said. Authorities later determined one of the teens was operating the car before it was put into autopilot, causing the crash.
Deputies said the parents of the teens were called, and the driver's mother said she didn't know her daughter left the state.
No one was hurt, but the car sustained $300 in damage, authorities wrote. The teen driver was issued a citation for driving without a license.
“These kids are very lucky that no one was hurt and their actions didn’t have more serious consequences,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said. “It doesn’t matter if you are driving a smart car, driving without a license is still against the law. I hope these kids have learned a valuable lesson and I am grateful that no one was hurt and only minimal damage occurred to their vehicle.”
Photo: Flagler County Sheriff's Office