When Washington State Trooper Rick Johnson Tweeted about Sgt. Kyle Smith’s Tuesday evening (Aug. 13) distracted driver warning, little did he know the distraction he would create!

As a testament to the viral global reach of the internet, this story has crossed the pond – and beyond –creating chuckles and head shakes in parts far flung from our humble burg.

As of Friday, Aug. 16, we can confirm that this story has been featured on numerous national news reports, as well as in Canada, the UK, New Zealand and international gaming news network IGN.com.

In case you missed this little gem of a news story, it all started when Sgt. Smith stopped to check on a car he found parked on the shoulder of SR 518 near SeaTac Airport. When he approached the vehicle he found the driver, not in distress, but distraction – playing Pokemon Go on 8 Phones cradled in a specially fitted blue foam holder. Because Sgt. Smith did not witness the driver actually driving while peering at the phones, the motorist was dismissed with a warning after agreeing to place the phones in the backseat of his car. As a tip to our readers, the WSP advises that drivers refrain from stopping on the shoulder for any reason other than an emergency.

Take a look at the tweet that set off the storm of interest: