Posted in: Games, Video Games | Tagged: pokemon, pokemon go

Man Who Struck 'Pokémon GO' Player Receives Seven Years In Prison

Published Sun, 04 Jun 2017 09:45:10 -0500

Last updated Sun, 04 Jun 2017 10:28:38 -0500

The crimes related to Pokémon GO just keep going up and getting more outrageous, as a Long Beach native learned this week. 57-year-old Jayson Lingen has been given a seven-year prison sentence for striking a 17-year-old boy in the head with a metal rod while he was playing the game.

The reasoning why he did it is still unclear, as the Los Angeles Times reported on the incident and the sentencing on Thursday. The kid was walking down Aquarium Way last year when the game was brand new, trying to catch a Pikachu in the area. Reports state that Lingen yelled something at the teenager before striking him with a metal pole to the head. Lingen, who was already convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in 2013, pleaded no contest to the game-related assault and the judge threw the book at him for it. The victim was treated for injuries but wasn't hospitalized at the time.

I don't think we can stress this information enough whenever stories like this come around. It seems like every two weeks we're reporting about a new crime-related incident involving the popular app. For real, if you haven't gotten the message yet, please head our personal warnings when playing Pokémon GO: Stay aware of your surroundings, don't commit criminal acts, and do not get yourselves injured or killed. It isn't worth it over a video game you'll all stop playing five years from now.

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