A driver who said he was playing Pokemon Go crashed into a parked Baltimore Police cruiser Monday, and the crash was caught on an officer’s body camera, the department says. You can watch the video above.
There were no officers in the car and the driver and passengers in the other vehicle, a Toyota RAV4, were not injured.
The driver, who was not named and has not yet been charged, can be heard telling an officer, “That’s what I get for playing this dumb a** game.”
(Baltimore Police/Youtube)
The crash happened about 3:30 a.m. in the Southeast District of the city. The officers had just finished a call. As the officers were standing on the corner of the street, the RAV4 can be seen slamming into the back of the cruiser. The driver told police he was looking down while playing Pokemon Go.
Baltimore Police reminded Pokemon players, “Don’t drive distracted. #PlaySafe.”
“We want you to play safe, if you’re going to do it, you have to play safe, “police spokesman TJ Smith said at a press conference. “A lot of people are going to say we shouldn’t have to tell people this. But this is no different than texting and driving or changing a CD, or putting on make-up or eating a sandwich. You have to pay attention while driving.”
Smith also referenced robberies that have occurred involving Pokemon Go players in Baltimore.
“There are way to many people who have their head buried in their phone trying to catch a Pokemon, and the criminals are catching you,” Smith said.
There have been several crimes and other bizarre incidents reported involving the mobile game. You can read more of those stories here.
“It’s like zombieland out there sometimes watching people play this game,” Smith said. He said people are walking “aimlessly” through neighborhoods and bumping into people.
“We hope that this resonates,” Smith said. “This video, we can laugh at now because he took full responsibility, but it could have been really serious. I’m glad the only thing we have to talk about is a damaged police car that is replaceable.”
