Two Los Angeles police officers have been dismissed after they ignored a robbery call to chase Pokémon characters in the augmented reality game Pokémon Go, court documents reveal.
Officers Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell were dispatched to a robbery in progress with multiple suspects at a Macy's store in southwest Los Angeles in April 2017. However, they failed to respond to radio calls, instead pursuing a Snorlax character that had appeared nearby.
An investigation using the officers' car video system showed that Mitchell captured the Snorlax, exclaiming 'Got ’em', before the pair drove to another location to catch a Togetic. The recording captured their conversations, including Mitchell saying 'Don’t run away' and Lozano describing how he 'buried it and ultra-balled' the Togetic.
The officers were fired following an internal investigation but appealed, arguing that the recording should not have been used in disciplinary proceedings and that they were denied protections under the Public Safety Officers Procedural Bill of Rights Act. The appeals court upheld their dismissal, with details released on Friday.
