Canadian Teens Accidentally — And Illegally — Cross Border Into United States While Playing ‘Pokémon GO’


Two Canadian teens were so distracted by the popular new phone app, Pokémon GO, that they accidentally crossed the border into the United States illegally. The teens were playing the augmented reality when they crossed the border into Sweetgrass, Montana. The teens continued playing the game until they were picked up by United States border patrol agents.

The Daily Mail reports that two Canadian teens were playing Pokémon GO in Coutts, Alberta, when they accidentally crossed the U.S./Canadian border into Sweetgrass, Montana. The teens were reportedly so engrossed in their phones and catching nearby Pokémon that they did not realize they had crossed the border illegally. It wasn’t until United States border patrol agents stopped the teens that the Pokémon trainers realized their mistake.

The teens were taken by the border patrol agents and questioned. However, the teens were ultimately released back to the Canadian border after it was determined they were not a threat to the United States and were nothing more than distracted mobile phone users. The teens’ mother was called and met the border agents at the Canadian border to retrieve her children.

Michael Rappold, the Border Patrol Agency’s public affairs officer, notes that the situation was handled professionally and the teens were reunited with their mother.

“Both juveniles were so captivated by their Pokemon Go games that they lost track of where they were. They crossed the international border inadvertently, but agents were able to reunite them with their mother.”

This isn’t the first time that Pokémon GO has caused problems for law enforcement agencies. In fact, a number of agencies are warning about problems associated with the viral game. The Minneapolis Police Department has issued a warning to all Pokémon trainers regarding awareness in rural locations. The police report that players have been robbed when searching for Pokémon in secluded areas.

Likewise, police are warning of the dangers of playing Pokémon GO while you drive. One driver learned this the hard way after plowing into a parked police car while playing the addictive game.

The Coast Guard in Liverpool has issued a warning to teens about stealing their boats to go on water Pokémon hunts. A group of 20 teens allegedly stole a Coast Guard boat in the early morning hours to sail across the New Brighton marine lake to search for Pokémon.

While many of the warnings seem like common sense, Bosnian officials have felt the need to remind citizens that they should not walk through areas with potential landmines in search of Pokémon, because apparently people were not heeding warning signs in a bid to find some elusive Pokémon.

In the United States, problems with Pokémon trainers heeding warning signs also persist. As the Inquisitr previously reported, two men from California were injured after falling off of a cliff while searching for Pokémon. The men reportedly jumped a fence onto an area that was not stable despite signage noting the danger.

What do you think about the rash of problems associated with people playing Pokémon GO? Should law enforcement agencies continue posting warnings about issues that should be common sense to players?

[Image via Shutterstock]

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