Pokemon Go Leads To Apprehension of Attempted Murder Suspect

Fullerton, CA — With Pokemon Go, players are out to find animated creatures seen only via handheld devices, and “catch ‘em all.” Game play and reality collided when two U.S. Marines playing the popular game in California helped the Fullerton Police apprehend a wanted suspect at a popular downtown park.

The Marines, 24-year-old Seth Ortega and 27-year-old Javier Soch, set out on Tuesday morning, July 12, to play Pokemon Go before Ortega’s Fullerton Community College class. The two decided to stop by a downtown Fullerton Park at around 10:30 a.m.

“Our plan was to explore a bit before class,” Soch said in an interview. “I figured there wouldn't be too much activity and we'd benefit from all the stops the area has to offer.”

The park, near Wilshire and Pomona avenues, became popular with the twenty-somethings and older couples who play Pokemon Go, according to Soch — as well as parents with small children.

“Most of the people we’ve met (while playing) have been about our age, as well as older couples and teenagers,” he said. “People either play in teams, or get together to share ideas and experience with playing the game.”

Both the interactive part of the game as well as getting up and getting around town is the way Pokemon Go game was intended, according to both Ortega and Soch. The two had just captured a "Growlithe" Pokemon, which Javier snapped a picture of when the game froze his mobile screen.

"Pokemon Go is known to have server issues that involve having to frequently restart the app," Ortega said.

Ortega and Soch looked up and around at the park and museum area where they were playing.

A mother and her children who were also at the park playing Pokemon Go had just been annoyed by “an awkwardly dressed man,” said Ortega.

“Javier drew our attention to the park, where the suspect had just unnerved the first mother and her children, causing them to flee toward the museum,” he said. The man had walked to them and "rubbed" a plastic rose on the child's chest, though neither Ortega nor Soch witnessed that. The mother asked if she should call the police, and both suggested she do so.

All game play forgotten, they approached the suspect while the mother got her children to safety and called 9-1-1.

“We told the man that he should stay away from the park,” Ortega said. “The man replied that he was just looking for shelter or cigarettes.”

Both Marines informed the man that he should go elsewhere, directing him to the Fullerton Police Department for resources.

Keeping an eye on things, they watched him head toward the museum, walk to another mother and her two sons.

“He spoke with them, shook each boy's hand,” Ortega said. “We saw him reach out to pat the boys' shoulders, and his hands led down to their chest area.”

The second mother guided her sons away from the man, toward the park where the children started playing on the jungle gym. The man, according to Ortega, followed.

He reached out for one of the boy’s feet, moving his touch up past the boy's knee, according to Ortega.

“At this point I ran over,” he said. A third bystander, Keith Sanders, also joined to help.

The three men followed the suspect as he attempted to leave the scene.

“We told him not to try to run, that the police were on their way,” Ortega said. “Keith flagged down the arriving squad car, and the arrest was made.”

According to Javier, the police were calm and didn't show any suspicion of the good Samaritan trio.

“The first officer approached Seth and Keith, then started to question the man,” Soch said. A second arriving officer took statements from all three, as well as both mothers involved in the incident.

Neither Ortega nor Soch had the feeling that the instigating suspect “was well enough mentally” to understand anything about Pokemon Go or that people were playing games. According to Ortega, it was the playground that was the suspect’s attention.”

“The children were all at the jungle gym during each encounter,” Ortega said.

Following the incident, they learned that the suspect was wanted for attempted murder in Sonoma County. Both were grateful that the individual was now off the streets.

They decided to share their experience with their local Pokemon Go group, with the intention of bringing the community together as a “Neighborhood Watch” for each other.

Neither of the friends anticipated the media frenzy that would follow.

“I didn't share the story with the hopes of drawing media attention,” Ortega said. “I'm a single father myself and just had to act when I saw this happen.”

Though now hyped as heroes, the three men don’t feel that their actions were heroic.

“We’re just three guys who did the right thing and prevented something from getting worse,” Ortega said.

Which is the perfect definition of hero.

Some tips on Pokemon Go safety from Javier and Seth?

During summertime, being aware of your surroundings and the people in your perimeter is of key importance.

While playing Pokemon Go, your attention tends to focus directly on your “GPS Map.”

“The biggest thing is to make sure to look around and be aware of what's going on around you. The game is very fun and interactive, and people tend to get drawn into it that they forget they are out in the real world,” Seth said. “Over all, having a group of friends and looking around often is always helpful.”

According to Javier, “the best part of Pokemon go has been the interaction you have with your community. This game has gotten me to explore my surroundings and meet people I normally wouldn't have talked to. In a way, it feels as if this game has brought people off all ages and backgrounds together.”

Most of all, both advise to be observant, and if possible, to travel in large groups.

“Have fun playing the game, but don't forget to step away from it and double check your surroundings,” Javier said. “One never knows who's out there with bad intentions.”

Do you play Pokemon Go? Tell us about it at Your Town’s Patch.