Pokémon Go & Crime: 5 Interesting (& True!) Stories
Have you been playing the sensational phone game that’s captivated the world?
If you don’t know what we’re talking about, allow us to introduce you to Pokémon Go: a “location-based, augmented reality game for mobile devices” that was released on July 7th in the US. It’s not unusual to see younger kids and adults alike wandering around stores, parks, across streets and through empty parking lots trying to catch all the characters that are present in the game.
While we’d like to say it’s all fun and games, there have been quite a few crime stories that have involved unsuspecting Pokémon Go players. Read our 5 most interesting crime stories related to Pokémon Go below – you won’t believe all the things that have happened!
1. Pokémon Go players have been shot at.
Two teenagers playing the game in front of a house in Florida around 1:30am. The alarmed owner of the house heard one ask the other “Did you get anything?” and the man quickly grabbed his gun suspecting they were robbers. Read the article here.
2. Players have been lured by thieves to remote spots to be robbed.
Several St. Louis robbers anticipated the location of where some Pokémon players would be in a more secluded spot and robbed them at gunpoint. The robbers were arrested, charged with a felony and set at $100,000 bail. Read the article here.
3. Not all Pokestops are family friendly.
Users of the game have unwittingly stepped into not-so-friendly neighborhoods trying to capture Pikachu and his pals. After some players have ended up in areas common to drug users, NYPD has cautioned those playing to be wary of where they are headed and to avoid places that may have a not-so-clean reputation. Read the article here.
4. Pokémon has helped find crime scenes.
Unfortunately, unsuspecting players have found more than just one dead body. The first corpse was found in Wyoming and the second one was found in New Hampshire. Investigations are still under way but thankfully they were found sooner than later. Read the article here.
5. Pokémon Go has helped deliver criminals to the police station.
One man was led to a police station where the building serves as a gym in the game. What he forgot was the fact that he had a warrant out for his arrest and was arrested immediately. One officer believed that he was “more upset that he had to stop playing”. Read the article here.
While you’re out there catching them all remember to be careful! And if you do find yourself in some trouble, don’t hesitate to contact The Law Office of Bradley Corbett – an experienced criminal defense attorney in the San Diego area.
Bradley Corbett
Bradley Corbett is a criminal defense attorney in San Diego. He graduated from Brigham Young University in Provo Utah in 2004. Later he enrolled at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego where he participated in a prestigious internship program with the Los Angeles County Public Defender. Since then he has handled over 2,000 cases.