The footage, recently released by 404 Media, showcases the two police officers driving around in pursuit of virtual creatures, focusing on capturing a Snorlax and strategizing on how to catch a Togetic, all the while neglecting a live robbery alert.
In a bizarre incident from 2017, two police officers from Los Angeles, namely Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell, were caught on video engrossed in the popular mobile game, Pokémon Go, while disregarding an ongoing robbery
As the dispatcher urgently relayed the robbery call, the two police officers remained absorbed in their virtual quest, deliberating the best approach to secure these fictional beings before time ran out. Mitchell’s exclamation of triumph echoed through the recording after successfully nabbing the virtual creature, expressing anticipation of envy from their peers.
The Pokémon Go phenomenon, which took off in 2016, swept the nation as players roamed their cities in search of these digital creatures
However, for these two police officers, their obsession came at a cost. They faced termination in 2017 after their Pokémon pursuit was discovered by a police captain who arrived at the scene and noticed another patrol car nearby. The captain, puzzled by their lack of response, prompted an investigation. The two police officers’ feeble defense of not hearing the call was contradicted by the audio evidence where they could be heard dismissing it with an, “Ah screw it.”
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