Court documents have revealed details of a story of two LAPD officers who were fired from the force back in 2017 for playing Pokémon GO on duty — whilst ignoring calls for backup at a nearby robbery-in-progress.
As reported by Vice, Officers Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell, who have just had their appeal for reinstatement denied by a California judge, were in the vicinity of an ongoing robbery at a Macy's in Crenshaw when they received urgent calls from colleagues to provide support. Instead, the pair relocated from the area of the crime in order to hunt down a Snorlax, as well as a rarer Togetic, in Niantic's smash hit mobile game.
When originally questioned about their failure to respond to their radio, the officers insisted they had been in a loud area and failed to hear the calls for assistance. However, upon further investigation of their dashcam, it turned out the pair had in fact blatantly ignored their in-car comms in favour of excitedly hunting down Pokémon, even moving their squad car to several different locations in order to track them down.
Court documents filed on the incident illustrate with quotes just how involved the two police officers were in their Pokémon hunt:
After Mitchell apparently caught the Snorlax—exclaiming, “Got ‘em”—petitioners agreed to “[g]o get the Togetic” and drove off. When their car stopped again, the DICVS recorded Mitchell saying, “Don’t run away. Don’t run away,” while Lozano described how he “buried it and ultra-balled” the Togetic before announcing, “Got him.” Mitchell advised he was “[s]till trying to catch it,” adding, “Holy crap, man. This thing is fighting the crap out of me.”
Eventually Mitchell exclaimed, “Holy Crap. Finally,” apparently in reference to capturing the Togetic, and he remarked, “The[ ] guys are going to be so jealous.”
Petitioners then agreed to return to the 7-Eleven (where Sergeant Gomez later met them) to end their watch. On the way, Mitchell remarked, “I got you a new Pokémon today, dude.”
In the wake of the incident, officers Lozano and Mitchell attempted to have themselves reinstated, arguing that their vehicle's in-car recording devices weren't meant to be used to record "private conversations", an appeal that was denied by the local judge.
The pair may not have caught any criminals that day, after blatantly ignoring calls to help colleagues, but they can at least take solace in the fact that they bagged two tricky Pokémon.
[source vice.com, via courts.ca.gov]
Comments 73
i can tell you what comment section i'm staying 10 miles away from starting now
What's kinda funny here is that Togekiss (Togetic's evolution) has a dex entry saying how it never appears in times of strife and that they always help people in need. They quite literally caught possibly the most fitting yet ironic Pokemon possible.
EDIT: Snorlax is also pretty fitting here as well.
Lol rightfully so, if there's one job you should be 100% focused it's probably police work
As an American, and as a gamer, I am so embarrassed by this. This was totally unacceptable.
We either have cops who are derelict in their duty, or have cops who are trigger-happy and resort to lethal methods to neutralize threats first instead of non-lethal methods.
I can't wait to move out of the country and into one that is not only safer, but where the police are not a bunch of idiots.
in the early days me and my gf got harassed by cops 5 times. Wonder if they just went after us because we were Team Instinct and was holding down all the gyms back when that was worth doing
This is why, in Pokémon, they send a 10-year-old to stop Team Rocket.
@sanderev LOL 😂 😂 😂 😂
This tends to happen when your main demographic of workers are High School drop outs. Not many people go through university and decide at the end to be a police officer.
The demographic of people who go into policing tends to be the least intelligent of our population.
This is why they are mostly either lazy or trigger happy.
I live in the U.S. (lived in L.A. for 3 decades too), and it's maddening that cops will get fired for Pokemon Go before they get fired for killing unarmed civilians and/or innocent bystanders.
Wow, someone is taking male representation in the Pokemon world's own police force way too seriously. Leave this stuff to Officer Jenny, one Looker is enough.
@CharlieGirl
That's the messed up world we live in.
@sanderev
Aaaaaaaaaaand we already have a winner.
Ah, playing Pokemon GO back in 2017 was a magical pastime. I still have a wild-caught Dragonite I got back in July 2016 and THAT was something else. I distinctly remember about 10-20 players (and possibly more) hiking up the side of a steep hill in a city park just to get a chance at the beast.
Now where was I again? Oh right…
Since this incident happened back in 2017 finding a wild Snorlax was still a big deal in Pokemon GO, if you played the game seriously you’d drop everything just to get it. That said, you’d still let it pass by if you had more important things to do LIKE DOING YOUR JOB.
So in short, good riddance to these guys. They played a stupid game (choosing to play PoGo instead of doing their job) and they won a spectacularly stupid prize (lost their jobs AND lost the appeal) for doing so.
At least there were consequences for their actions.
I love how their argument for reinstatement isn't that they're really sorry and promise never to do it again, but that footage of them not doing their job shouldn't be admissible because it shows them not doing their job.
@sanderev lmfao
That little Poke-side mission probably saved someone from a bullet.
@AstroTheGamosian
Come up here to Canada. The cops actually TALK here.
Sitting in court listening to them talk about Pokemon Go like that.
They would be either seriously embarrassed, or they were fist bumping each other.
@Gamer_Zeus it's not about who wants it. You have to take an IQ test to become a cop, and if you score too high you're banned.
(Just so you know I'm not joking, here's the court case where the practice went public)
http://www.criminaljusticeschools.org/blog/man-ruled-too-smart-to-be-a-cop/index.html
They were expecting growlith to do the job
@ChakraStomps
Yeah, I actually just got into Go and went on a vacation to a smallish town with lots of tourists, so lots of Pokestops (Hatteras, North Carolina if you’re interested) I went up and down the island to get all of those Pokestops and got a lot off of weird looks for it, but I suspect it’s because the fire department was salty because they took the stop back the next day and we fought over that one stop the entire time I was there lol
All Cops Are Badatpokemon
I do still occasionally play Pokemon Go, yes, but not when I'm on the job; there's always plenty of stuff to do, a backlog to dive into.
These guys deserved their termination in my book, though some of the material brought up in this comment section is borderline irrelevant to the matter at hand IMO.
@AstroTheGamosian I’m curious about which country you plan on moving to?
@Benji80
Facts are neither insults nor bias.
Poor judgement on their part
@Benji80
you think websites should be censoring people for criticizing the police?
look out folks, we got a real John Sinclair here.
I would love an example of a "harmless" comment you made that got deleted.
In the exact words of NWA: "Forget the Police."
@k8sMum well done, you said it better than i did with like 1/10th as many words 👍
@Benji80 I would insult anyone who did this. It just so happens that these men have a much more significant duty of care than most other professions. Totally warranted.
Removed - unconstructive
I can't tell which is lazier: The Snorlax or the Officers.
@Benji80
Then don't comment.
Only thing that shocked me about the story is that it seriously involved Pokèmon. Otherwise, kind of on brand for the LAPD and police in general
@Benji80 Very telling that you still remember a deleted comment from two years ago, and are still bent out of shape over it, lmao. Touch grass, dude.
@Gamer_Zeus Have you read the requirements for LAPD? You might want to read them, then lower your head, sound sad and say “doh...”
https://www.joinlapd.com/qualifications
@Benji80 lol
@CharlieGirl You lived in LA for 30 years, and never heard about how Burbank PD was audited by the FBI for police brutality? Literally dozens of cops got fired and replaced because Burbank’s police force was in near-constant abuse of its powers. Old news, but here is one such example, unfortunately, one of many. Good riddance to bad rubbish.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.latimes.com/socal/burbank-leader/news/tn-blr-xpm-2009-10-03-blr-probes100309-story.html%3f_amp=true
@-wc- Oops, the guy you are commenting to is complaining about insulting the police which is entirely different than criticism. Criticism often involves a complaint and a proposed solution to said complaint. Insults are not constructive , and don’t serve any purpose. FTFY
Yep, they should stay fired.
As for the separate issue being raised in the comment section:
Just apply nuance people. There are a lot of cops that do a good job. There are others that do not. Sometimes specific cities have a large concentration of poorly trained officers. In other cities those fringes are virtually non-existent. Officers who do objective wrong should have consequences. Officers who do not mean to do wrong and a slip up occurs should be shown mercy. Ones who always do their best should be honored.
What you ought not ever do is engage in calumny or assume the guilt of a person without substantial evidence, and no what you see on the media is not substantial. They get their paycheck from sensationalism and political pot stirring.
The closer the world gets to falling into political manipulation, the more they see their fellow man as inhuman. Secularism has done a great job at throwing the virtues of compassion and forgiveness out the window.
Based police officers?????
LAPD literally killed a 14 year old child just before Christmas when firing on a suspect (who was armed with a bike chain) in a crowded store and no one has been charged much less fired.
Shocking what will actually get you fired as a police officer in America.
@Benji80
I agree with you. Cops have the worst job, especially nowadays. That's also without considering they can be murdered at anytime.
Thank goodness these cops are off the job, but the recordings of their playing was hilarious. At least the cops they should have been helping didn't die.
Removed - offensive remarks
@BloodNinja
i know what the words mean.
what he was characterizing as insult, i was characterizing as criticism. the incongruity was intentional on my part.
i have no qualm with you and appreciate your constructive comments!
edit- I came back to say, that if my use of the word criticize obscures my meaning, then let me be clear:
This website should not be censoring its users for criticizing OR insulting the police. It's completely fine to insult police, it's just a job that people take and remain doing voluntarily. anyone who believes people SHOULD be censored or otherwise punished for this is anti American at best, and if that insults you, good! I'd love to hear your case for no more free opinions of law enforcement officers.
edit 2 - by "insult" i dont mean say inappropriate things or threaten police with violence or otherwise violate the general rules of conduct, i hope this is obvious.
@BloodNinja have you read about the rest of the worlds requirements? Because if you did you'd be even more sadder and feel even more stupid.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-56834733.amp
I'll also leave these here just in case you think its propaganda:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/612820/
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.insider.com/some-police-academies-require-fewer-hours-of-training-plumbing-2020-6%3famp
You can imagine whatever you like but your police officers are genuinely inept compared to other countries.
@-wc- This is a European website, just pointing that out. I agree with your sentiments regarding censorship, but I don't think people should be open to insults simply because they work a particular job. Historically, it has shown that it makes people care less about their work. Insults =/= opinion, as they are usually marred by hate. For example, stating "I think the police are doing a bad job," is a fair opinion and we can have a reasonable discussion on where they can improve. Stating, "police officers are genuinely inept in your country," is disingenuous and ignorant. It fails to acknowledge any training they go through, and is demeaning to them as human beings.
@Gamer_Zeus : Very true. A few of the most mischievous delinquents that I knew have become cops (including one caught with a long knife in his backpack during our high school years).
@Gamer_Zeus I'm not going to pretend I know something about law enforcement in countries I know nothing about or do not live in.
Again, pretty ignorant to state that an entire workforce is inept when looking at the failings of people who were blatantly not doing their job. That lack of work ethic can manifest in any country in any person in any field of work. At least you looked something up this time, instead of just ignorantly making blanket statements. Oh wait, you did anyway.
When you talk like that, you are blatantly ignoring all the times where the police did their job and saved lives and prevented or dealt with crimes in a professional way. It happens more than the news likes to write about, but that's because the news is more concerned with spreading bad news about law enforcement. Wouldn't it be nice if they balanced that view with stories about the times they did the job properly? It sure would cure the ignorance of posters like yourself.
@BloodNinja you claim to have no knowledge of how law enforcement works in other countries but you vehemently defend the law enforcement in your own country despite the fact that we are literally able to HAVE this argument because your policing is just so bad.
You don't see other countries having the same issue as the US with their policing, there are plenty of statistics to prove that your police officers are underqualified and under trained. We don't have other people from other countries having to sit there and defend what their police officers do, for good reason.
They might not all be inept but a great many of them are, you refuse to educate yourself on other countries policing which will give you no spectrum to gauge from, you have no idea what "good" or "bad" is until you actually look at other countries.
It is literally no exaggeration when i say that US police are the least trained of all other developed nations, it's truly an embarrassment.
@BloodNinja in fact...
Here you go, you just need to read the title.
This article is from 2021: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.yourtango.com/news/police-high-iq-max-limit-degrees-police-reform%3famp
This article is from 1999:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/abcnews.go.com/amp/US/court-oks-barring-high-iqs-cops/story%3fid=95836
Do you realise what this means? It means there is literally a prejudice against SMART people from becoming police officers in the US. For more than 20 Years!!!
They can legally BAN smart people from becoming police officers and its been going on for more than 20 years.
If you score too high on an IQ test they can ban you from law enforcement.... Just say that to yourself.
@Gamer_Zeus Of course I defend my country. I live in it and see things firsthand, so I have a better view of it than an outsider. I've been failed by law enforcement and have been saved by them on different circumstances. Like any job, you will find people that take it seriously and those that need a reality check. That fact of human nature is not exclusive to America. Yes, different countries have different issues.
It's amazing that American police do the job so well, despite being "underqualified and under trained." You can't ignore the good they do on a daily basis because there are jackasses like the ones mentioned in the article.
On the contrary, though, I've seen videos which I will post below of police brutality in European countries, with police forces in Germany harming protestors during recent covid protests, and another person getting arrested over stealing a bicycle who people claim was arrested with excessive use of force. I still think that German police are mostly good, and I don't force poor judgement on them based on isolated incidents. A German politician even stated that "violence is inherent in the system," or something to that effect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL_MBq9cLRQ&ab_channel=RT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=af5dh4Xw3Pc&ab_channel=DailyMail
It's unwise to cherry-pick isolated incidents and then use that as a way to paint an entire population of people. That's no different than wrongfully stereotyping someone based on race or creed.
@ModdedInkling That's actually the plan in the next year or two. I'll have my student debt paid off by then, so I'll be able to save up to move to Canada (most likely Vancouver), stay there for a little bit, then make my (possibly final) move to Japan (I'm thinking Kyoto or Osaka).
Keep up the good work officers. Hopefully, that Snorelax will stop blocking roads.
Jokes aside, these officers will just be hired at another police department unless they get criminally convicted but probably won't.
@CosmoXY In the near term, most likely Canada (likely Vancouver). It's close to the United States, but a lot more stable than we are now, in more ways than one.
I plan to spend a few years in Canada, build up my bank account further (after getting my student debt paid off by the middle of this year), and maybe go back to school.
But I ultimately plan to move to Japan, most likely to Kyoto or Osaka. My goal is to at first teach English to high school or college students, learn how to design games, and then work for Nintendo.
Nintendo did so much for me when I was struggling with depression as a kid, not only do I want to pay them back for all they did for me, but pay it forward so that kids who find themselves in the position I was in can find some modicum of happiness in an otherwise miserable life.
@BloodNinja
1) good point, "anti american" was a bad choice of words on my part given the context.
2) i agree, insulting people is not a good way to persuade them to your position. but, that isn't always the function of language, i think. an insult is a tool and can be used poorly of course.
3) i agree that having a particular job shouldn't open you up to insults, but it also shouldn't protect you from criticism. It's a problem in the US.
4) just a side note, and i haven't reread anything I've posted, but i dont think anything I've said so far about police has been a particular insult. unless one takes great offense to my "forget the police" joke.
@Benji80
Do you think your veiled insults in other comments are lost on me?
No, I don't. I'm not actually clear what I have said that you find insulting, honestly.
When I WAS trying to insult you, I @ed you (as you implied before.)
Being called John Sinclair is hardly an extreme slur. 😊 IMO it's actually a complement, what makes it an insult is that I knew YOU would find it insulting.
Please remind me of any other insults I am forgetting to take credit for.
And you keep banging on about "censorship". What are you on about? Never said anything of the sort.
"Why the hell does this site delete harmless comments, but blatantly allow people to outright insult the police? [...] Sort it out, Nintendo Life."
This is what I'm talking about. I'm aware im using the term in the looser fashion, as NintendoLife isnt a governing body
Anyway, I'm done engaging you.
You said that before! 🤘🤪
(edited for spelling.)
@Benji80 You know why. .... you know why =P
@-wc- No, you came across as quite understanding and reasonable, I'm not correcting you in any way, just sharing my thoughts to clarify. Hope you have a great day
@BloodNinja
you too! i often enjoy reading your comments, btw. 👍
Maybe between things like previous felonies being changed to misdemeanors (like theft under $950), criminals being released without bail to go commit more crimes, and prosecutors not prosecuting, it isn’t worth the trouble for California cops to go deal with anything.
@-Juice- this is spot on. People view others less and less as human. It’s gotten to the point where people will cast aside a whole section of the population just because of their beliefs. I hope people start to think more critically and deeply otherwise we are in for a rough patch.
@BloodNinja it's cute that you're loyal but blind loyalty can be quite misguided.
if you bothered to even read any of the articles that i sent, which you haven't because blind loyalty dicates that you avoid reason. None of them are "isolated incidents" as you put it.
They are all examples of the training other countries do compared to the training the US does.
*1 hours spent training to be a police officer
2 training methods used
3 the types of individuals inducted into the force*
The US is the LOWEST in all these categories, this isn't a "one state thing". These are not "isolated incidents" - this is a broad issue.
But the fact that you didn't read my articles actually proves my entire point about "law enforcement and intelligence".
The only people i notice who defend law enforcement are people who lack the intelligence to understand what law enforcement actually is.
@BloodNinja in fact not a single article i put up was an "isolated incident" which literally proves you've been running off your mouth without reading a word I've been saying.
Typical right leaning Trump voter 🤣
🤡🐖
Bozo pigs matter
@BobbyAtomic
yeah thats the problem, not enough people rotting in our prisons. 🙄
"Looks like Team Rocket's not blasting off again!"
@somebread
I should have followed your lead... It started alright with some rather topical (pokemon related) jokes. But yea that took a hard turn straight into a spiral 😔
@Gamer_Zeus I have never registered to vote since I've lived in the US. I said what I said and I stand by it. I will not tolerate your ignorance and prejudice towards humanity.
@-wc- Thank you!
Because cops will be cops....
@Benji80 I too love 2D action and racing games! I've been playing lots of the Messenger, it's fantastic.
racing games I've had more trouble with, just haven't fallen in love with the ones I've bought for switch, yet.
thanks for the dialogue, I love arguing but I love games even more 😊 definitely see you around!
We live in a world where satire has become completely irrelevant.
lets be real here, ofc they shouldnt have done it, but we all know how games can take over and make us forget about the real world.
@Benji80
I am more into rpgs myself. I don't tend to post much unless I feel like I am saying something new or there aren't many comments already posted.
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