Gunman gets shot by Pokemon Go player he tried to rob

Canadian woman fires pellet gun at Pokemon Go players

LAS VEGAS, July 26, (Agencies): A gunman and his underage driver tried to rob a group of people playing the popular Pokemon Go game, triggering a shootout after one of the players pulled out his own weapon at a Las Vegas park that has become a hot spot for virtual creature hunting.

The incident early Monday marked the latest illustration of unintended consequences in everyday life due to the booming popularity of the GPS-powered “augmented reality” game.

Las Vegas police spokeswoman Laura Meltzer said the shooting left a Pokemon player and the would-be armed robber hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. Charges are expected against both that suspect and the juvenile who was driving the SUV.

Shortly after 4:00 am, a group of six people were at a public park east of downtown playing the popular smartphone game, which sends players to physical locations to “catch” virtual Pokemon characters.

Police said an armed man and the young driver drove up to the group in an SUV and demanded their possessions at gunpoint. One of the Pokemon players who has a concealed weapons permit drew his own gun and the two sides exchanged fire.

One person in the Pokemon group was shot once in the stomach and taken to the hospital. Meltzer said it’s unclear if that person shot is also the player who had his own gun but that the group of local players knew each other.

The man believed to be the suspect also was treated at the hospital for a gunshot wound. How he got to the hospital is not clear, but a matching SUV was found there.

Facebook users in a few Pokemon Go groups have suggested the location of the shooting, Gary Reese Freedom Park, as a hotspot for a particular kind of pocket monster known as Magikarp. In postings about nearby parks that are good places to catch specific kinds of Pokemon, the park is noted as a good place to collect the fish-like creature.

Police haven’t cited a motive or said if the Pokemon players were targeted.

But this isn’t the first report of suspects trying to rob people engrossed in the hugely-popular Pokemon Go game. Four teens in St Louis robbed victims earlier this month after luring them to a specific location using Pokemon Go.

TORONTO:

Also:

A Canadian woman has been charged after she allegedly fired a pellet gun at Pokemon Go players from the rooftop of a Toronto-area home, local police said on Monday.

Witnesses saw the 29-year-old woman fire at least four shots on Saturday night from the roof of a two-story building, police said in a statement, adding that no players were injured.

A police spokesman said part of the street in the town of Newmarket, north of Toronto, had possibly been marked in the augmented reality game as a “gym,” where players gather to challenge each other.

It is not immediately clear how many Pokemon Go players were on the street that night, though the police spokesman said the area has attracted them by the dozens.

“There’s nothing to suggest mental health issues,” he said.

Police said the woman was arrested without incident and charged with assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. Each of the charges carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Pokemon Go has been an unexpected success from Spain to Australia, doubling the value of Nintendo Co Ltd since the game’s launch in the United States earlier this month.

Using mobile devices, players search for virtual Pokemon characters that appear to pop up at office spaces, restaurants, museums and other places. Players score points in various ways, including capturing the Pokemon characters with a flick of a finger on their phone screen.

The game was also to blame for a rash of car accidents and a slew of mishaps stemming from distracted players.

SAN DIEGO:

The head of the company behind “Pokemon Go” says more capabilities for the wildly popular smartphone game are coming, including the ability to trade Pokemon.

During an appearance at a San Diego Comic-Con event Sunday, Niantic Labs CEO John Hanke said the update to add trading is “at the top of our priority list,” but no release date has been set.

Hanke also says future versions of the game could include customizable PokeStops and the addition of other Pokemon characters.

He calls “Pokemon Go” a game “we expect to run for years” and adds “we’re going to continue to invest in that way”.

The augmented reality game allows users to hunt Pokemon on their smartphones in real world locations.