Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON — (WMAL) Three University of Maryland College Park students were trying to “catch ’em all” when a thief caught up to them. They were robbed of their smartphones Tuesday night while they were playing Nintendo’s wildly popular augmented reality game called Pokemon Go.
Another person who doesn’t attend the school was also robbed on campus that night. University of Maryland Police said that person had a cell phone out but wasn’t chasing after Pokemon.
The first robbery happened around 9 p.m.on the McKeldin side of Tydings Hall. The victim handed his phone over to the robber who claimed to have a gun. The second and third robberies happened minutes apart near Queen Anne’s Hall around 10. During those robberies the suspect showed the victims a handgun. None of the victims were hurt.
Campus police are now looking for the person who took the phones. Anyone with information is asked to call UMPD at 301-405-3555.
Police are also urging students to play the game in pairs, stay in well-lit areas and pay attention to their surroundings while playing.
The three students are among a growing number of people nation-wide who have been robbed while trying to capture Pokemon.
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(Photo: Pokemon.com)
