Arlington

Criminals Target Pokemon Go Players in Arlington

Four incidents reported in past nine days, police say

People playing Pokemon Go in Arlington have been targeted by criminals four times in the past nine days, authorities say.

In three of the cases, the victims were robbed, according to police reports.

In the fourth incident, someone with a gun pointed it at a player and pulled the trigger. It clicked but did not go off, police said.

All the incidents have happened late at night.

An 18-year-old man was robbed July 16 at about 1:55 a.m.in the 2200 block of Ascension Boulevard, near Clarence Thomas Park.

"Out of nowhere, in his mind, two males approached him," said Arlington Police Lt. Chris Cook. "He said he didn't have any idea until it was too late that these individuals were on him."

They stole his cell phone and his hoverboard, Cook said.

Another player was robbed July 25 at about 2 a.m. in the 2000 block of California Lane. No details of that incident were immediately available.

One day later, at 4 a.m., an 18-year-old man was walking in the 2000 block of Carter Drive when someone grabbed him around his neck, held a gun to his head and stole his cell phone, police said.

And on July 20, at about 2:30 a.m., three players were walking in the 600 block of Woodcrest when a man in a Chevrolet drove up. He pointed a gun at them and pulled the trigger, but it did not fire, police said. The driver then sped away without taking anything.

"While we are not blaming the game, per se, it's more using your smart phone and not paying attention to what's going on around you," Cook said. "Bad guys are always looking for victims of opportunity."

He urged people to exercise caution – especially at night in secluded areas.

"You've got to be aware of what's going on out there when your face is kind of in your smartphone and you're not really looking around," Cook said. "Bad things can happen."

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