A California court denied an appeal on Monday from two former Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers who were fired in 2017 for ignoring an ongoing robbery to play the mobile game Pokémon Go.

Louis Lozano and Eric Mitchell were terminated from the LAPD after court documents showed that they failed to respond to an active robbery at the Crenshaw Mall in western Los Angeles.

Despite Lozano and Mitchell's claims, when the LAPD reviewed the in-vehicle recording system the next day, police officials uncovered video that showed the pair had indeed heard the robbery call, but had ignored it to play Pokémon Go, despite being only a "short distance from the mall.".

Mitchell then reportedly tells Lozano that "Snorlax [a rare Pokémon] just popped up at 46th and Leimert.".

Both Lozano and Mitchell are then heard playing through different aspects of the game, according to court documents.