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Dashcam footage shows police ignoring robbery to play Pokémon Go

LAPD officers later fired, but managed to catch Snorlax.

An image of Pokémon cop Officer Jenny from the franchise's anime series, looking angry and holding up a police radio.
Image credit: The Pokémon Company

Footage has been published showing a pair of LAPD cops ignoring police calls to instead drive around and play Pokémon Go while on duty.

The video, which was published by 404media following public records requests, shows the car being driven erratically as the officers race to catch a Snorlax and then a Togetic - the evolved form of Togepi.

The two cops talk excitedly about catching Pokémon while, in the background, radio calls can be heard - including a request for backup at a local shopping mall where a robbery is in progress.

Pokémon Go recently added species from Scarlet and Violet's Paldea region.Watch on YouTube

The incident dates back to April 2017, when Pokémon Go was still relatively new and both Snorlax and Togepi were relatively rare. Both officers were later fired.

You can view an excerpt from the video - it's three hours long in total - via the embed below. In it, you can hear some of the officers' chatter about the Pokémon in question and the general lore of the series.

The extended version of the footage includes discussion between the two about the Master Ball, and a conversation about whether the game would ever include it. (Pokémon Go did indeed eventually add the Master Ball, some six years later.)

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