75-year-old Pokémon Go player found guilty of assaulting Gym rival

A 75-year-old man and his 35-year-old son have been found guilty of third-degree assault after an argument over a Pokémon Go gym resulted in a real-life brawl.

As reported by the St Louis Post-Dispatch (Via GamesRadar), Robert Matteuzzi and his son Angelo travelled to a Pokémon Go gym in Kirkwood Park, a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri, back in 2018. Upon arriving at the location, the older Robert Matteuzzi entered into an argument with another player known in-game as ‘Sammy The Bull’ over the gym. The duo reportedly had an ongoing virtual feud.

A fight soon broke out which reportedly led to the younger Angelo Matteuzzi throwing punches at the victim. Both Angelo and the victim fell into a nearby five-foot-deep lake. Video evidence then supposedly showed Robert Matteuzzi entering the lake to join in the fight.

Both Matteuzzis were said to have continued punching the victim, holding him underwater. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the victim suffered facial abrasions, a traumatic eye injury, a broken fingertip, and a detached fingernail. The fight was eventually broken up by bystanders.

During the trial, both Matteuzzis testified that they were not the aggressors in the fight. Robert Matteuzzi told the jury, “I didn’t want to be in the water.” When the prosecutors reminded him that he has jumped into the water, he added, “When you’re 71 and you get punched in the head, you don’t know what you’re doing.”

After finding the duo guilty of third-degree assault this week, the jury recommended a three day jail sentence for Robert Matteuzzi and a fine, and a fine-only for the younger Angelo Matteuzzi.