Woman crashes car into light pole at H.B. police dept. while playing Pokemon Go
Costumed performers dressed as Pikachu, a popular character from “Pokemon,” line up during a promotional event at the Yokohama Dance Parade in Yokohama, Japan, in this file photo from Aug. 2, 2015.
Huntington Beach police warned people via Twitter on Wednesday night not to play “Pokemon Go” while driving after a woman crashed her car onto city property last month while playing the augmented reality game.
The 25-year-old woman was playing “Pokemon Go” — which allows players to use their smartphones to “catch” Pokemon in real settings — on July 29 at 1:46 a.m. when she spotted one of the characters near the main building of the Huntington Beach Police Station at 2000 Main Street, said Jennifer Marlatt, public information officer for the Huntington Beach Police Department.
The woman then drove her car onto city property and caught the Pokemon, Marlatt said.
She said when the woman backed her vehicle to turn around, she hit a light post and knocked it over.
A report was taken for the collision and damage to the property, Marlatt said, and the driver was not injured.
The type of Pokemon was not included in the report, Marlatt said.
The police department tweeted about the incident Wednesday night: “Should adults be playing @PokemonGoApp? Debatable. Play while driving? NO. Driving on sidewalk at HBPD? NO. RIP pole!”
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Brittany Woolsey, brittany.woolsey@latimes.com
Twitter: @BrittanyWoolsey
