Two Los Angeles based U.S. Marines wanted to capture Pokemon on Tuesday, but instead caught a man wanted for attempted murder.
Javier Soch, 26, and Seth Ortega, 24, started their hunt at 9AM when they noticed a man bothering a woman and her sons at a playground when Soch’s game froze:
The man appeared odd, wearing a mismatched outfit with an oversized jacket and a baseball cap. He held an artificial rose in his hand, Ortega said. At some point he snapped his fingers and appeared fidgety.
The roommates walked toward the man, who told them he was looking for a shelter or cigarettes.“I said, I don’t have smokes but there’s a police station nearby. If you go, they can point you to resources,” Ortega recounted.
The man wipd “his hand across one of the boy’s chest and shoulders,” which set off the alarms with the Marines. They decided to keep their eye on the guy as he walked towards the park to follow the woman and her sons:
The man made his way over to the park, where the mother and two sons had ventured. Then, Soch and Ortega saw the man grab one of the boy’s feet and move his hand up the boy’s leg.The two men immediately sensed a threat.Ortega bolted to the park and escorted the man away, while Soch stayed with the two mothers and five children.
The police arrived and detained the man. Ortega said “the man cooperated with the police and sat calmly on the sidewalk as police questioned him.” They arrested him “on suspicion of child annoyance,” but it turns out Sonoma County authorities want him for attempted murder. They did not release his name, but will extradite him.
It turned out to be quite the day for the Marines:
“It’s not what we were expecting our day to turn out with,” said Ortega, who is pursuing his associate’s degree in automotive technology at nearby Fullerton College.“The game, when it loads up on the screen, says to be cautious of your surroundings. Strongly follow that advice.”
[Featured image via ABC7]
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