Trooper catches driver on side of the road playing Pokemon GO on 8 different phones

The driver had the phones all in one piece of Styrofoam.

August 15, 2019, 5:08 PM

A Washington state trooper made a surprising discovery after spotting a car pulled over on the side of a highway: the driver was playing Pokemon GO on eight devices, all at the same time.

Sgt. Kyle Smith spotted the vehicle on the shoulder of Highway 518 in Burien, south of Seattle, on Tuesday.

It was only after Smith approached he understood why.

The driver of the car, who was not identified, was playing the mobile game on eight different phones, according to Rick Johnson, the spokesman for the Washington State Patrol in King County, who tweeted about the incident.

The driver had placed the phones in separate cutouts in a piece of blue Styrofoam.

Johnson said the driver agreed to put the phones in the back seat and continue his commute "with 8 less distractions."

PHOTO: Kids show the screen of their smartphone with Nintendo Co.'s Pokemon Go augmented-reality game at the Trocadero in front of the Eiffel tower on September 8, 2016 in Paris, France.
Kids show the screen of their smartphone with Nintendo Co.'s Pokemon Go augmented-reality game at the Trocadero in front of the Eiffel tower on September 8, 2016 in Paris, France.
Chesnot/Getty Images

Because he was pulled over, Smith did not issue the driver any citations but he did warn him not to pull over to the shoulder unless there is an emergency.

It was not immediately clear if the driver caught any Pokemon.