Following a physical altercation over a Pokémon Go gym, a 75-year-old man and his 35-year-old son were convicted guilty of third-degree assault.
Live Gym Battle
In 2018, Robert Matteuzzi and his son Angelo visited a Pokémon Go gym in Kirkwood Park, a St. Louis, Missouri, suburb, according to the St Louis Post-Dispatch (via GamesRadar).
The older Robert Matteuzzi got into a fight over the gym when he got there with another player there who goes by the in-game name “Sammy The Bull.” There was allegedly a virtual feud between the two.
The younger Angelo Matteuzzi reportedly punched the victim during the subsequent fight that broke out. Angelo and the victim both fell into a nearby lake that was five feet deep. Then, according to video footage, Robert Matteuzzi allegedly entered the lake to join the melee.
The victim was reportedly still being punched by both Matteuzzis while being held underwater. The victim sustained face abrasions, a severe eye injury, a broken fingertip, and a disconnected fingernail, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Bystanders eventually dispersed the altercation.
Both Matteuzzis testified during the trial that they were not the fight’s aggressors. When the prosecution pointed out that Robert Matteuzzi had jumped into the water, he said, “When you’re 71 and you get punched in the head, you don’t know what you’re doing. “Robert Matteuzzi told the jury, “I didn’t want to be in the water.”
The jury suggested a three-day jail sentence and a fine for Robert Matteuzzi and a fine only for the younger Angelo Matteuzzi after finding the pair guilty of third-degree assault this week.