Father, Son Convicted In Assault Spurred By 'Pokemon Go'

A Missouri jury has convicted a father and son for attacking a Pokemon Go rival in a dispute that ended with all three men in a lake.

The St. Louis County jury on Wednesday found Robert Matteuzzi, 75, and Angelo Matteuzzi, 33, guilty of third-degree assault. Jurors recommended a sentence of three days in jail and a fine for the father, and only a fine for the son.

Pokemon Go is an augmented reality video game in which players walk around outside hunting for animated monsters on their phones.

In June 2018, the Matteuzzis were on one team and the victim was on another. Both teams wanted to claim a Kirkwood Park gym — a site in the game where teams can compete for control.

After a scuffle, Angelo Matteuzzi and the victim rolled into a lake. Prosecutors said Robert Matteuzzi jumped in, dunked the victim and held him underwater while his son punched him. The victim suffered facial abrasions and other injuries, including to his eye.

“Grown men — including a man in his 70s — coming to blows over a childish game they are playing is ridiculous, but there was nothing funny about the injuries sustained by the victim, who could have drowned,” Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said in a news release.