KIRKWOOD, MO (RNN) - A father and son duo apparently took a Pokemon Go gym battle too seriously, and prosecutors have charged them with assault.
According to a police report, a competitor accused Robert Matteuzzi, 71, and his son, Angelo Matteuzzi, 31, of stealing his Kirkwood Park gym, and he threw a Gatorade bottle into their car, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
In the world of Pokemon Go, various locations have "gyms." People of a rival team can claim another team's gym by unleashing their Pokemon on the virtual creatures that are defending it.
When the duo encountered the man in the park later in the day, the 71-year-old threw the bottle at the man's face, the police said. The men started fighting.
However, the victim, who declined to give his name, claimed he didn't provoke the attack, and the two men were waiting for his friends to leave when they attacked, KSDK reported.
The father and son allegedly teamed up against the man, with the father holding the man down while the son hit him, causing facial lacerations, an injury to the tip of his finger and a serious eye injury.
The attack was captured on cellphone video.
The victim said the men threw him into the lake. He also said this is not the first time the older man has attacked him over Pokemon Go, he told KSDK.
The Matteuzzis have been charged with third-degree assault.
In 2016, the height of Pokemon Go's popularity, players encountered all sorts of trouble, with people falling in ponds and finding bodies.
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