A California appellate court has ruled that two Los Angeles officers deserved to be fired. This was because they hunted a Snorlax and battled a Togetic instead of responding to a mall burglary.
- Ex-cops Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell claimed that the municipal authorities dismissed them unfairly four years ago after snooping on their in-car video system.
- The video showed them pursuing Pokémon Go characters on their mobile phones rather than catching nearby mall robbers. On April 15, 2017, the investigation began during a busy Saturday at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Southwest Division.
The Exciting Virtual Creatures and Case Details
Axios spotted the recent documents pertaining to the appeal of this case, and subsequently, various details surrounding the case were unearthed. The papers read that soon after ignoring the backup radio call:
“For approximately the next 20 minutes, captured [the] petitioners discussing Pokémon as they drove to different locations where the virtual creatures appeared on their mobile phones.”
On the 15th of April, 2017, Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell were assigned patrol duty. On that day, Macy’s departmental store witnessed a robbery. The court document revealed that Captain Davenport also heard the radio call calling for backup.
He saw a shop and a police car parked in the adjacent alley. Since the nearby police officers failed to respond to the ring, Captain Davenport responded to the call. Moreover, he also saw the other police vehicle reversing from the alley and leaving that neighborhood.
Later on, the two officers informed the sergeant who was sending the call for backup that they did not hear the radio call. But the in-car footage contrasted this statement, as the video revealed the two officers discussing the call and deciding not to respond to the same. The video also caught on mumbling about catching Pokemon. The court documents stated, “Officer Mitchell alerted Lozano that ‘Snorlax… just popped up [at] 46th and Leimert.”
They can be heard talking about the successful Snorlax catch and Togetic battle’s difficulty. Officer Mitchell said that “The guys are going to be so jealous.”
The Verdict
The duo returned to a 7-Eleven to complete their watch after successfully capturing the Togetic after Lozano “buried it and ultra-balled” it. Later, they would lie about playing the game, even claiming to be “merely having a chat about Pokemon GO” and “taking [an] image” of the Pokemon on a tracking app.
They were charged with on-duty misconduct and dismissed. The ex-officers sought to appeal their case. They claimed they were unaware their talks were being filmed and that their statements should be deemed “private.” The court dismissed the appeal on January 7, 2022.
Well, with that being said, a new opportunity for trouble is coming right up in 2022 with Pokemon Legends: Arceus.
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. For more content, stay with us, here at Spiel Times.
Make sure you also subscribe to our push-notifications and never miss an update from the world of video games. Follow us on Twitter @spieltimes for the latest PS5 restock and drop. Until next time, Stay Safe and Happy Gaming
