According to Axios, the Los Angeles Police Department fired officers Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell for ignoring a robbery call on April 15, 2017, and instead of indulging in Pokémon GO.
Instead of responding to radio calls for the Macy's robbery at Crenshaw Mall, the two officers reportedly drove around for the next 20 minutes looking for "Carbie" and "Pokekigu."
Lozano and Mitchell denied playing Pokémon GO and insisted they were only "talking" about the game, but on-board cameras showed they discussed the heist call and chose to ignore it. In addition, another police officer also witnessed the police car leaving the area after being called.
Dissatisfied with the dismissal, the two officers appealed that their police car records could not be used against them, and lost the case.
Released in the summer of 2016, "Pokémon GO" is an AR pet battle RPG mobile game where players can search for Pokémon in the real world, capture, fight, and more. According to the latest data from Sensor Tower, Pokémon GO has surpassed $5 billion in global revenue.
