Officers Dismissed For Ignoring A Robbery That Was Taking Place In Order To Play Game
Update: 2022-01-15 17:00 IST
Two officers in the LAPD were fired for ignoring a robbery to play Pokemon Go. File photo: Reuters
The new disclosed court revealed that two officers from the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) were dismissed for neglecting a robbery in process to play Pokemon Go. The officials were Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell were found guilty of several charges of misconduct, that were established in parts on the video of them in the car.
The digital in-car video system (DICVS) captured officers intentionally neglecting their responsibility to help a commanding officer with a robbery in process whilst on responsibility and pursuing a Pokemon mobile phone game.
As per court documents released on Friday, the incident was reported on a busy Saturday in April 2017 whenever a report was received regarding a robbery at a Macy's department store involving many suspects. Rather than attending to the call, Lozano and Mitchell began backing up down the alley far from the heist, which a superior officer had witnessed in a police car hidden back in a lane merely feet from the Macy's.
The cops stated that they couldn't hear the radio during the initial probe, but the commanding officer checked their DICVS to see what they do on a typical day. They had heard the radio call and decided to disregard the officer answering to it rather than aid them.
Moments afterwards, Lozano and Mitchell started chatting about Pokemon Go, and for the following 20 minutes, the DICVS was filmed conversing about Pokemon as they travelled to various spots where the virtual critters showed on their phones.
The men acquired two rare Pokemon, a Snorlax and a Togetic, at this time, though it is unclear whether the robbery suspects were arrested by their colleagues. The men's request regarding their dismissal was denied, and it was discovered that they had lied about ignoring the radio call for the heist in progress. It's the latest instance of an augmented reality game potentially diverting people's attention away from their real-world obligations.