Rare Pokemon Go Characters Wreaking Havoc In Rancho Cordova Neighborhood

RANCHO CORDOVA (CBS13) — A popular game is creating a rare Pokemon Go nightmare as hundreds of people are swarming to a suburb in Rancho Cordova to play.

Players say they're hunting for what they call rare varieties of Pokemon, but parents say it's causing major traffic hazards.

So why is Pokemon Go invading this particular suburb? It's a small, peaceful suburb of new homes, but neighbors say it's turned into a zoo as with hundreds of Pokemon fans flock to the area from as far away as the Bay Area, on the hunt for rare, high-value characters.

Pokemon Go has been blamed for all kinds of problems, from trespassing to disrespecting memorials, to crashing into law enforcement. But in the suburb of Anatolia, the complaints boil down to chaos.

"My sister almost got hit by a car, because they're all speeding and using their phones at the same time!" said Angelina Guneims who doesn't play Pokemon.

"People are driving and playing. There'll be whole cars...full of people!" said one mom.

James Wakley says the community has been identified as a farm for valuable virtual animals.

"They call it a spawning point or a nest," said Wakely.

Ten-year-old Isadora Murphy explains these uncommon creatures result in triple, monster points, because of intersecting Pokestops.

"There's a park here, there's a park down there...there's another park and there's the park further than that one, and then there's a park just down there," said Murphy.

"I've written a countless number of citations out here for this," said Rancho Cordova Police Department Officer Manny Konstantinidis.

But apparently traffic tickets haven't slowed down this treasure hunt.

"It's driving and texting on steroids," said Philip Latenser.

Latenser heads the Homeowner's Association. He's planning town halls with the city, fire, and police departments to reach a resolution.

Is it a traffic problem or is it a Pokemon problem?

Removing Pokemon Go Sites
The makers of Pokemon Go tell CBS13 they're overwhelmed with requests to remove Pokemon sites, and they're trying to review all those requests. For information on how to request removal of Pokemon Go sites, visit the Pokemon Go Support website, or click here.

Pokemon Go creators also say they're working on a system update to let real-world locations opt out as Pokestops. There's still no official timeline for when those updates will be available.