Updated at 3:30 p.m. to include tips and guidelines from Auburn University Public Safety.
It's all the craze on Auburn's campus — from Samford Hall to the Ag Heritage Park, hundreds of students and residents alike pick up their cell phones every day to play Pokémon Go. Now, the new game fad has resulted in a violent robbery here in Auburn.
A man was robbed early this morning while playing Pokémon Go, according to a police press release. He was playing the game, trying to catch small superimposed Pokémon on his cell phone, when he found himself near the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art on the 900 Block of South College Street.
The victim is not currently enrolled as a student at Auburn, according to the police.
The museum grounds are the location of a gym, where Pokémon Go players battle for each others' Pokémon. It is also home to a Pokéstop, where players can collect supplies like Pokéballs. At all hours of the night, groups of Pokémon trainers can be found throwing Pokéballs into the lake in front of the museum trying to catch water Pokémon.
The new game uses GPS technology and the player's smart phone camera to find and generate digital Pokémon, which the player can then catch using their Pokéballs. Just in the last few days, Pokémon Go has increased the market value of its parent company Nintendo by more than $7.5 billion.
At approximately 3:00 a.m. while the victim was outside of the closed museum playing the game, four men approached him and robbed him at gun point. They stole his cell phone and charger, valued at over $500.
After stealing the phone and charger, the men got into a vehicle and fled the scene.
Later this morning, officers located and arrested Vincent Lockhart, 20, Walter Tatum, 18, Travonn Cowan, 18, and Jeffrey Colver Jr., 18, all from Tuskegee on charges of 1st degree robbery and 3rd degree assault.
The victim suffered minor injuries and was treated at the East Alabama Medical Center.
All of the property stolen was recovered by police after the men were arrested, and they were then transported to the Lee County Jail where they will be held unless they post a $101,000 bond.
According to Forbes, Pokémon Go is now rivaling Twitter's number of total daily users.
It's only been released for a little over a week, and there have already been several reports across the nation of people being robbed and carjacked while playing the game.
"There have been recent reports around the country related to the Pokémon app and the risk of being distracted by its use while driving and/or becoming the victim of a crime," police said. "The Auburn Police Division, as always, reminds motorists to refrain from distracted driving. Furthermore, citizens should avoid meeting with those not known to them in unfamiliar areas, particularly as a result of internet communications, gaming and the like."
Auburn University Public Safety sent an email this afternoon highlighting safety tips for those who play the game.
"Pokéstops and Pokégyms are focal points that attract more users," public safety said in their email. "Criminals may take advantage of this. Make sure to look up, look around, and be aware of who and what is around you. It's best to visit Pokéstops and Pokégyms during the day, with a friend or in a group."
"When looking for Pokémon, you may become overly focused on your phone screen and become oblivious to your surroundings," they said. "This goes back to being aware of your surroundings. Look out for obstacles, tripping hazards, and other dangerous situations."
Correction: The Plainsman previously reported the victim was an Auburn student. At 3:50 p.m., the Auburn Police Division confirmed that the robbery victim is not currently enrolled at Auburn.
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