The world had Pokémon Go fever back in 2017, and that included two Los Angeles police officers who opted to ignore a robbery so they could continue their hunt for Snorlax and Togetic.
The story of Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell first emerged last year, but now we have the actual dashcam footage of their collective misadventures, and it’s indeed a wild ride. In the abridged footage obtained by 404 Media, Mitchell and Lozano are heard saying they hope Togetic doesn’t run away as they drive the wrong way down a one-way street and perform illegal u-turns.
New from 404 Media: we finally got the dash cam footage of the two LAPD cops who ignored a robbery in progress to play Pokemon Go. Shows they sped through residential areas, drove wrong way down one way street to chase Pokemon
“Got him!” one shoutshttps://t.co/rWI89guX5c pic.twitter.com/EMbl06vMGj
— Joseph Cox (@josephfcox) October 10, 2023
The pair actively ignored an in-progress happening at a local mall during their hunt, opting instead to head to a 7-11 after finally snagging their trophy. They were subsequently investigated by the LAPD’s internal affairs department, charged with multiple counts of on-duty misconduct, and fired.
Pokémon Go has remained popular in the years since, though not quite so popular as it was back in 2017, when the country was still in the throes of AR-fueled Pokémania. It wasn’t so long ago that just the rumor of a Vaporeon was enough to cause a full-blown stampede through Central Park.
Pokémon Go has since added a tremendous number of monsters beyond Togetic and Snorlax, as well as features such as competitive battling and extensive quest lines. Not all of the changes have proven popular though, putting players at odds with developer Niantic.
If you’re still Pokécurious after all these years, check out our complete guide to Pokémon Go right here.
Kat Bailey is IGN’s News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
