Around 3 a.m. Monday, some Baltimore police officers had just finished responding to a call and were standing on the sidewalk talking. A Toyota SUV with three people in it was travelling down the street and did not appear to slow down as it sideswiped a parked patrol car. The SUV then stopped down the block and police went over to talk to the driver.
After asking the people in the car if they were okay, the driver got out of the vehicle with a smartphone in his hand and showed the officer his phone with the Pokémon Go game on it. He said, “That’s what I get for playing this dumb-a** game.”
No one in the SUV was injured and there was no one in the parked patrol car.
The crash and subsequent conversation with the driver were captured on one of the officer’s bodycams and the Baltimore Police Department decided to release the video to show the dangers of distracted driving, especially playing Pokémon Go while behind the wheel.
At a press conference yesterday, T.J. Smith, a spokesman for the Baltimore PD, said, “It’s a game but it’s not a game when you’re behind the wheel. This could have easily, easily been a tragedy.”
Since the release of the game there have been several incidents of people injured or injuring others while playing. As USA Today reports an Auburn, New York man drove into a tree while playing Pokémon Go and a 15-year-old girl in Pennsylvania was injured as she crossed the street while playing the game. Two Canadian police officers were injured when a driver playing Pokémon Go backed into their cruiser.
Baltimore police are consulting with the state’s attorney to see what if any charges will be brought against the driver.
