Pokémon Go Is Fueling Armed Robberies, Say Police
A group of alleged robbers are suspected of using Pokémon Go to lure their victims to a secluded area in Missouri.
If you thought getting busted by your boss or randomly being traumatized by discovering a dead body floating in a river were the worst things that could happen due to your Pokémon Go addiction, you are mistaken. Police in O'Fallon, Mo. say that a group of armed robbers there were using the augmented reality game app to draw people to a spot and rob 'em all.
After receiving a report of an armed robbery early Sunday morning, officers arrested four suspects in a BMW and recovered a handgun, police said. The suspects, who were not identified, targeted their victims through the Pokémon Go app, O'Fallon Police explained in a news release posted to Facebook.
The game, which forces players to go outside and walk to places in real life, contains "Pokéstops," where players go to re-up on Pokéballs and other in-game items.
Sgt. Bill Stringer expanded on that in a statement to Buzzfeed.
The suspects are accused of multiple robberies in the area and surrounding counties.
