2 Marines Playing 'Pokemon Go' Help Catch Wanted Man

Orange County, CA — Game play and reality collided when two U.S. Marines playing the popular game at a southern California park helped police apprehend a wanted man.

The Marines, 24-year-old Seth Ortega and 27-year-old Javier Soch, set out on Tuesday morning to play "Pokemon Go" before Ortega’s class was due to start at Fullerton Community College. The pair 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 is popular among 20-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, they said. The two had just captured a "Growlithe" Pokemon, which Soch 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.

With the game frozen, both took a chance to look up and observe their surroundings at the park.

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

The man had walked up to the mother and "rubbed" a plastic rose on one of the children's chest, though neither Ortega nor Soch say they witnessed it.

The mother asked them 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 911.

"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 said they informed the man that he should go elsewhere, directing him to the Fullerton Police Department for resources.

They watched him instead walk toward a nearby museum, where another mother and her two sons were.

"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 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, Ortega said.

"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 Soch, the police were calm.

"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 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 in a "Neighborhood Watch" type of way.

Neither of the friends anticipated the media frenzy that followed.

"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 Soch and Ortega

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,” Ortega said. "Over all, having a group of friends and looking around often is always helpful."

According to Soch, "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, travel in large groups.

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

— By Patch Local Editor Ashley Ludwig

(Photo/Eduardo Woo via Flickr Creative Commons)

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