Pokémon GO is a fun and addictive mobile app, but the latter part has cost two police officers their jobs. When the two were called to stop a burglary, they decided to try catching some Pokémon instead, because who cares about the law, right?
According to Yahoo News, Officers Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell were fired in 2018 after failing to respond to alerts from their police station. Despite the two officers being parked across the street where the robbery happened, Lozano and Mitchell ignored the call.
“They were in an ideal position to respond to the call and provide immediate assistance,” police said. “It was broadcast the suspects were possibly fighting with security. The officers made no effort to respond to the location to assist them.”
Footage of the incident had been released (via LA Times), showing that these two exited the area instead of trying to stop the robbery. Once the two were in a safe distance, they started playing Pokémon GO, attempting to catch a Snorlax and Togetic.
It seems that the police in LA are big fans of the app, as Mitchell claimed that “the guys are going to be so jealous.” When the two officers were asked about their whereabouts during the incident, they claimed that they were stationed near a park and couldn’t hear the calls due to ‘loud music.’
Lozano and Mitchell pleaded guilty for their inactivity, though the duo have also denied other accusations of misconduct. Hopefully, these two learn better and know that helping people is more important than catching Pokémon in Pokémon GO. These two literally swore an oath to help other people and abide by the law, after all.
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Pokémon GO is now available on iOS and Android devices. For more on Pokémon, check out how to evolve in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon DX for the Nintendo Switch.