Two Los Angeles police officers ignored a robbery in progress because they were trying to capture Snorlax during a game of Pokemon Go and didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity.
RELATED STORIES: Video From LAPD Shows Fatal Burlington Store Shooting Of 14-Year-Old
Former LAPD officers Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell were terminated from their positions after it was discovered that they “willfully abdicated their duty to assist a commanding officer’s response to a robbery in progress and playing a Pokémon mobile game while on duty.” According to Vice News, the incident took place in April 2017 at a Macy’s in Crenshaw Mall where a patrol supervisor contacted the two officers to respond to the robbery. However, Lozano and Mitchell ignored the call and went down an alley to avoid the scene.
Evidence showed that the men were discussing responding to the robbery but they chose not to after noticing that a “Snorlax” appeared at 46th and Leimert. They further discussed a strategy to capture the rare pokemon.
RELATED STORIES: Man Used COVID Relief Fund To Purchase $57,000, Pokemon Card
Court records state the men lied about the game and told their supervisors that they were capturing “images of the pokemon” rather than playing a game. After they were fired, the men filed an appeal claiming the LAPD violated their right to privacy by listening to their radio conversations.
Officials said the firing was due to “the gross negligence, cowardice, lack of thoughtfulness, and deceit” Lozano and Mitchell displayed while on duty. Their appeal was denied on Friday.