Missouri robbers used Pokémon Go to find victims

The new mobile phone game Pokemon Go has forced several people to get active and go outside -- all for the sake of catching the various creatures. But four teens in suburban St. Louis took advantage of the game by using it to lure people to a specific location to rob them.

Police said four teens used the game to draw victims to a spot in O'Fallon, just outside of St. Louis and robbed 8 to 9 people.

The suspects used the game to find their victims by locating PokeStops - marked real-work locations like landmarks, churches, buildings or statues that drop game items. The robbers would go to the location and rob someone who came there playing the game.

The recently released game sends players to locations to collect various creatures. Police say the robbers used the game to lure victims by putting a "beacon" at a location to draw in players.

Police arrested the four teens after responding to a call for a robbery near a gas station Sunday.

Prosecutors said they are charging three of the suspects with First Degree Robbery and Armed Criminal Action. The charged suspects are 18-year-old Shane Michael Backer, 17-year-old Brett William Miller and 18-year-old Jamine D. Warner. All are charged as adults. The fourth suspect was a 16-year-old and was transferred to a juvenile center.

Police said the suspects may have been involved in similar robberies around St. Louis.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.