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Pokemon Go leading some players into dangerous spots

Posted at 11:28 PM, Jul 11, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-11 23:28:18-04

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Pokemon Go app is the latest craze to take the world by storm.

People all over are downloading the game and walking city streets looking for virtual creatures – and, possibly, putting themselves in danger.

For the last few days, Justina Shine says the Pokemon Go app has been her life.

"We go around, we look at sites and whatnot and we find virtual items and try to collect them," Shine said. "We don't see them in real life, but we see them on our screen."

POKEMON GO | See where Pokemon have been found in Indianapolis

The game, Shine says, has gotten her moving. She's walked 13 miles playing it so far. It's helping her fight her depression, and she's met plenty of other players along the way.

Pokemon Go players are often easy to spot with their heads buried in their phones. It's something that has Riley Hospital for Children Pediatrician Dr. Rebecca Dixon concerned.

"We certainly see plenty of what we call cellphone injuries," Dixon said. "They're not caused by the cellphones themselves, but the distractions that they pose."

The game has also led to reports of people being harassed, especially at night.

Stephanie Simpson says she was playing alone at night in Fort Wayne over the weekend when a man pulled up beside her.

"Then he proceeded to exit the vehicle and attempt to get me inside the car, at which point I began screaming and yelling," Simpson said.

The man eventually gave up and left and Simpson wasn't harmed.

Read more about Pokemon Go here:

5 tips to be the 'very best' in Pokemon Go

Is Pokemon Go putting your private personal information at risk?

Pokemon Go put players in unexpected, sometimes dangerous situations