Beautiful video shows the moment two Los Angeles police officers were too busy talking about Pokémon Go to help their fellow officers with an armed robbery call.
Last week, the LAPD released the dashcam footage of the relief incident, in which officers Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell discussed “drinks and Pokéballs” while a Macy’s store in Crenshaw was robbed.
In the footage, one officer asks: ‘Are you watching a video, or are you playing?’
“No, I’m watching a video,” replied the other.
‘Oh, ok. I thought maybe you could chat live with whoever you’re playing a game online at the moment. I’m like, dang,’ the first officer said, laughing.
The incident led to both officers being fired from the department a police board of rights ruled unanimously that they acted in a way that was ‘unprofessional and embarrassing’ and ‘breached the public trust’.
LAPD Officers Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell Caught on Patrol Car Camera Talking About ‘Pokeballs and Potions’ Related to the Popular Game Pokemon Go
The robbery took place in April 2017, but LAPD released the three-hour surveillance video this week.
Lozano and Mitchell have not been associated with the department since 2018. Lozano was on the job for about 17 years, and Mitchell for seven.
The two appealed against their dismissal, but the decision was upheld.
They were found to have violated department policy by not backing up their colleague – and by denying they were playing the game when confronted by supervisors and internal affairs investigators.
After an internal investigation, the officers were charged with multiple counts of misconduct, including failing to respond to a robbery call and making misleading statements to department officials.
The footage showed the car cruising under a stoplight, the first officer remarks, ‘It’s nice to have more Pokeballs and have the potions.’
They continue to chat back and forth, with one commenting, “He catches everything,” an allusion to the game in which players have to trap characters in a ball.
“I don’t catch everything,” said the officer.
“But you’re still pretty high up there to not catch everything.”
They failed to respond to a robbery in April 2017 because they were too distracted to play the game, and ignored radio calls while their colleague requested backup
The robbery took place at a Macy’s in Crenshaw, and the officers were parked just 200 yards away – before driving off and booking the game
At one point in the footage, Lozano can be heard saying, ‘I don’t want to be his help’ in response to an LAPD captain’s request for backup in response to a robbery in progress involving multiple suspects at the Crenshaw Mall.
He and Mitchell were then parked less than 200 meters away, according to the department.
They discussed the game for over 20 minutes as they drove to places where characters like Snorlax and Togetic were known to appear.
Records show their patrol supervisor tried to hail Lozano and Mitchell on their car radio to see if they could assist other officers.
When he questioned Lozano and Mitchell about their whereabouts, they said they were in a park with loud music engaging with community members and did not hear the call.
After watching the squad car video, the supervisor determined that the officers did hear it, but decided to ignore the call because they were playing the popular augmented reality game.
Lozano and Mitchell also denied driving to catch the mythical creatures, arguing that the game required players to walk, not drive.
Both the upper and lower courts upheld the City’s decision to fire the officers, although their attorney Greg Yacoubian argued that the use of the patrol car footage constituted an invasion of privacy.
Pokémon Go remains popular, even eight years after its launch; thousands of players gathered in London in August 2023 for the first ever Pokémon Go Fest
The officers appealed their terminations, arguing that the recordings were “private conversations” that should be dismissed — but in January 2022, the California Court of Appeals upheld a lower court decision that the LAPD was justified in firing.
Greg Yacoubian, an attorney representing both officers, said Lozano and Mitchell were “unfairly treated.”
He argued the department broke its own rules by using the dashcam recording of private conversations to prove the officers’ misconduct.
He also said the officers were interviewed without legal or labor representation present.
“The right to privacy of the officers is really what was at issue here,” he said, adding that there was “no dispute” that the camera was accidentally turned on.
The department presented 16 pieces of evidence during the officers’ disciplinary hearing, according to LAPD records.
It included evidence ‘defining their words as part of Pokemon Go lexicon.’
The officers pleaded guilty to failing to respond to the radio call, but not guilty to other charges of misconduct.
They denied playing Pokemon Go but admitted they left their patrol to find a Snorlax, a creature described as ‘very lazy’ that ‘stops eating only to sleep’.
Lozano and Mitchell each claimed they were participating in a “social media event” related to the game as part of an “extra patrol.”