Robotoki Panic Button Leads to LAPD Raid

[StewShearerOld]

Robotoki Panic Button Leads to LAPD Raid

A pressed panic button and a life-sized Call of Duty statue led to LAPD entering the offices of developer Robotoki with guns drawn.

Of all of life's temptations there is probably none greater than a button. It doesn't matter what warnings you're given or the size and variety of "Do Not Push" signs you hang above it, the presence of a button will inevitability to lead to someone pushing it. In some cases the consequences are minor. Some button pushes, however, can lead to your building being swarmed by armed police officers. Such was the case last night at the offices of Robotoki, an independent game studio based in Los Angeles.

"Our studio is equipped with a 'panic' alarm in case of an armed threat, which was installed yesterday," said Robotoki founder and <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/116515-Call-of-Duty-Creative-Strategist-Steps-Down>former Call of Duty spokesman Robert Bowling. "One of our designers, who shall not be shamed, pressed it on his way out because apparently when boys find buttons that they are unsure of, their first instinct is to push it." The button press alerted local police who sent officers to respond. When the officers reached the Robokoti office, they saw what they believed to be an armed assailant through a window on the rear side of the building. The armed man was actually a life-sized statue of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's character Simon "Ghost" Riley. Believing they'd walked into an actual situation the officers entered the building.

"I was in my office when they arrived and saw them coming up our stairs, guns drawn," Bowling said. "They yelled for me to put my hands up and walk towards them slowly, then took me into custody and out of the studio until they cleared the rest of the rooms and floors." After searching the building and coming face to face with the "suspect" the officers returned to Bowling laughing over the misunderstanding. Passing the situation off as a prank gone awry, the police opted not to fine Bowling. It wasn't until later that Bowling and Robotoki would realize the button press had been an inside job. "We reviewed the security footage and saw our designer's curiosity to be the cause."

Source: <a href=http://www.polygon.com/2013/5/31/4383220/robert-bowlings-robotoki-invaded-by-lapd-after-curious-designer>Polygon


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[Legion]

Well at least the officers saw the funny side, and didn't seem to react too extremely. Considering the nature of these stories in general, I half expected to read that they had shot the offices up taking down the "armed man".

Although I suspect one employee won't be getting a bonus this year.

 

[CriticalMiss]

Although I suspect one employee won't be getting a bonus this year.

He's probably working in a chain-gang digging up the long lost ET burial site as we speak.

 

[LetalisK]

Well, shit. This gives me nothing to rag on the LAPD about. Damn you mysterious developer!

 

[fix-the-spade]

Ouch, someone's never living that down.

Either that or someone is very very fired right now.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

Well, shit. This gives me nothing to rag on the LAPD about. Damn you mysterious developer!

I don't know, an armed assailant that never moves, even when the cops arrive and bust down the door, would strike me as kinda odd.

Still, its great that the LAPD were good sports about the whole thing.

 

[Lazy Kitty]

Well, they should properly let their employees know what a button like that does.

What if there were an actual reason to press it and they didn't even know it would do what it does?

 

[AdmiralCheez]

Perhaps it would have been wise to post a notice that it was a panic button, instead of leaving a mystery sitting around. For who out there can resist the siren's song of the mysterious-looking, unmarked button? It demands to be pressed. Even if it turns out to do absolutely nothing, the curiosity of the button is too much. We must know what it does.

 

[idarkphoenixi]

Am I the only one who thinks this was all a publicity stunt?

Employees are almost always - no, scratch that, they are ALWAYS told about fucking panic buttons because y'know...It's a fucking panic button! "Hey, in case our lives are in danger, push 'this' button"

And they just happened to have a life-sized statue of a scary-looking militaristic-type character propped up by the window where everybody outside can easily see them?

The closest thing I did to relate to this was when I was in a hospital and using their toilet. I pulled the red cord instead of the white one. One flushes the toilet, the other rings the alarm to let everyone know you're either dying or just stuck.

 

[Fappy]

I guess the LAPD's taken a few chill pills since that whole rogue cop incident. >.>

 

[MB202]

I accidentally read the title as "Robotnik Panic Button Leads to LAPD Raid. :|

 

[SecondPrize]

I guess the LAPD's taken a few chill pills since that whole rogue cop incident. >.>

Yeah, they've gone from shooting pickup trucks because they're pickup trucks to not shooting a figure with a weapon. That's an improvement.

 

[ron1n]

I can only imagine the security footage looked something like this:

 

[TiberiusEsuriens]

I can only imagine the security footage looked something like this:

I think more like this:

 

[zidine100]

ahh yes i see the free publicity stunt button is working just as planned. Its not soo suspicious that hey look a character from out upcoming game is in the window and is the main focus of this 'scare'.
yeahh.... im not buying this one for a seccond sorry.

 

[Thyunda]

Perhaps it would have been wise to post a notice that it was a panic button, instead of leaving a mystery sitting around. For who out there can resist the siren's song of the mysterious-looking, unmarked button? It demands to be pressed. Even if it turns out to do absolutely nothing, the curiosity of the button is too much. We must know what it does.

No button does nothing. If I press a button and nothing happens, I expect to leave the building and run into a police blockade.

 

[Thunderous Cacophony]

So, what's the point of a panic button if people don't know what it is? If there is an actual emergency, wouldn't you want the team to know what to do?

Am I the only one who thinks this was all a publicity stunt?

Employees are almost always - no, scratch that, they are ALWAYS told about fucking panic buttons because y'know...It's a fucking panic button! "Hey, in case our lives are in danger, push 'this' button"

And they just happened to have a life-sized statue of a scary-looking militaristic-type character propped up by the window where everybody outside can easily see them?

The closest thing I did to relate to this was when I was in a hospital and using their toilet. I pulled the red cord instead of the white one. One flushes the toilet, the other rings the alarm to let everyone know you're either dying or just stuck.

It does seem to be an enormously poor decision to put that figure next to an exterior window (I imagine it was only a matter of time before a citizen spotted it and called the cops), but it seems that the odds of a big fine are greater than the benefit of people laughing at one of your designers.