Pokemon Go players targeted in Ottawa attempted robbery, police urge caution

Police in Ottawa are urging Pokemon Go players to be aware of their surroundings after a man and a woman playing the wildly popular game were targeted in an attempted robbery.

Police say a 24-year-old woman and a 23-year-old man were using their phones to play the augmented-reality game in the area near Ottawa city hall around 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

The game, which uses GPS and mapping capabilities, encourages people to roam their communities in search of digital monsters known as Pokemon, which appear when players hold up their phones in various locations at various times.

Ottawa police say two suspects approached the players and one of them grabbed the man’s phone and fled. They say the man ran after the suspect to an area where the suspect was arrested by military police, who turned him over to Ottawa police.

Meanwhile, police say the second suspect “accosted” the woman, tried to take her phone and a struggle took place, after which the suspect fled empty handed. Police say that suspect was also arrested by military police nearby a short time later.

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Police say a 17-year-old Ottawa youth is charged with theft under $5,000 and breach of recognizance, and a 19-year-old man, Mohamed Ouedraogo, is charged with a single count of robbery.

Police say Pokemon Go players need to be alert when out playing the game to guard against similar incidents.

“You’re playing with a phone out most of the game and you’re actually showing people that you have a smartphone in your hand, so it attracts the wrong type of crowd a lot of times,” said Const. Chuck Benoit.

“We’re not trying to stop people from having fun, we’re just advising them to make sure they do it in a safe way, they know where their surroundings are, they know where they’re walking, they know exactly where they’re heading.”

Police are also urging players to use common sense and not place themselves in dangerous places while playing the game.

Benoit noted that a resident was ticketed in the city while playing the game this week because they were walking on a road and were unaware they were impeding traffic. 

Police in the eastern Ontario city of Belleville also had a Pokemon Go-related incident on their hands this week.

They said a player was walking along a trail near a water treatment plant around 2 a.m. on Thursday when he was “suddenly jumped from behind” by two men.

The player suffered minor injuries but did not require medical treatment, police said.

Pokemon Go officially launched in Canada on Sunday.

Diana Mehta, The Canadian Press