COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — Gotta catch a burglar?
That could be the new motto for two Pokemon Go players who helped Chicago Police nab a would-be laptop thief at a Northwest Side high school earlier this week.
Adrian Mrugala, 22, said he and a friend were playing Pokemon Go near Chicago Academy High School about midnight Monday when they saw a man crouch behind a bush, pull on a mask and gloves, and take out a metal stick.
"He just started smashing windows," Mrugala said. "We were right there, not even 10 feet from him. I told my friend, 'We've seen too much. It's time to go.'"
Mrugala and his 25-year-old pal crossed the street and called 911.
From there, police arrived and arrested 24-year-old Daniel Gonzalez, who is currently on probation for retail theft, possession of a stolen motor vehicle and two separate burglary cases, prosecutors said.
During a bond hearing this week, Gonzalez's defense attorney said his client has a long history of drug abuse and was high on Xanax the night he broke into the high school, 3400 N. Austin Ave.
"It's drugs; there's no way around that," the attorney said.
According to an arrest report, Gonzalez rode up to the school on a "motorized bicycle" and broke open windows using a metal pry bar. Police found him on the first floor, where he confessed to trying to steal things, the report noted.
"Police told us he was stealing laptops and computers," said Mrugala, a Chicago Academy graduate who grew up three blocks from the school. "Or he was trying to at least."
The painter said he was annoyed at the burglary attempt, noting, "Those laptops and computers [are the ones] I did my schoolwork on. And there are kids that need them way more than he does. Just to get high? He can go get a job like everyone else in the world."
Gonzalez, of the 3200 block of North Austin Avenue, is charged with burglary of a school. Cook County Judge James Brown this week set bail at $75,000.
Mrugala called the entire experience — from spotting Gonzalez to being interviewed by police — "weird," but said he was glad he could help.
"I care about the neighborhood, and I just didn't appreciate something like that going down," he said.
"And all of this because of Pokemon Go."
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