‘Pokemon Go’ Players Nearly Caught A Bullet After Being Confused For Burglars

A pair of Pokemon Go enthusiasts in Florida almost caught something they sure as sugar weren’t asking for: A bullet.

The Orlando Sentinel reports that two teenagers were shot at as Friday night morphed into Saturday morning. Why? The man holding the firearm mistook the teens for burglars when their car was spotted outside his home. He went outside, heard “did you get anything?” and raised his gun at the players with the instruction not to move. The vehicle quickly raced away as the man stood in front and that prompted rounds to be fired at the exiting automobile because the man claimed they were attempting to hit him with their car.

The teens weren’t hurt in the incident, although the car suffered some damage with bullet holes in the fender, hubcap and rear tire. The mom of one of the shot at players contacted the police about the incident and explained that her son and his friend were playing Pokemon Go (namely, trying to capture Marowak and Tauros) and didn’t plan on reporting the encounter because they assumed it was someone trying to scare them. That feeling changed after the duo noticed the bullet holes in the car and told the mother. Officials are still investigating the incident.

This case of mistaken identity could have had a much more tragic end and it points to some of the unexpected spinoffs attached to the mega-popular craze. Here’s hoping all conflicts in the future connected to Pokemon Go are solved by gaming combat, a calm exchange of words or an MMA tilt that goes viral instantly.

(via Polygon & Orlando Sentinel)

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