'Pokemon Go' playing Marine veterans help nab attempted murder suspect

FULLERTON, Calif. — Two U.S. Marine Corps veterans are being hailed heroes after they helped to find a man suspected of attempted murder while playing "Pokemon Go" on Tuesday.

The pair, identified by KABC as roommates Seth Ortega and Javier Soch, was playing the cellphone game at a park in Fullerton, California, when Soch's game froze and he noticed a man approaching children with a plastic red rose.

The man seemed to be acting erratically, so the pair approached him. After the spoke he walked away and approached another family, the Los Angeles Times reported.

As he left the family, he "managed to wipe his hand across one of the boy's chest or shoulders," according to the newspaper.

The touch made Soch uncomfortable, so he decided to watch the man.

"We kept our distance," Soch told the Times. "We didn't want to alert the guy and escalate the situation."

The mother called 911, according to KABC.

"We see the gentlemen go approach them again, at this point, me and my roommate start walking across the street and the gentleman actually walks up and touches one of the children, one of the boys, his toe, and starts walking his way up to the knee," Ortega told the news station. "At this point I'm running across the street and a gentleman who was walking down the street does the same thing."

Ortega detained the man until Fullerton police arrived.

Officers arrested the man, identified as 39-year-old Jacob Kells, on suspicion of misdemeanor child annoyance, according to the police department. Later they learned Kells was wanted in Monterey County on a variety of charges, including attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, assaulting and resisting a peace officer and possession of a stolen vehicle.

Authorities took Kells to Orange County Jail, where he was expected to face extradition to Monterey County.

"If I hadn't looked over to my left and seen this guy who looks out of place, I could have missed it," Soch told the Times. "The best thing I can say: Remind yourself that you are not in the phone playing the game. Look around and be more aware."

Cox Media Group