Pokemon Go player Rickeybot was robbed and assaulted during a live stream, with him capturing the incident on camera.
Rickeybot was live streaming himself catching Pokemon near New York’s Central Park, when a man can be seen running up from behind him and punching him in the jaw. After Rickey falls to the floor, the assailant is then caught on camera stealing Rickey’s smartphone, before making his getaway and restoring the device to its factory settings.
Watch the attack below:
Rickey later posted an update to his Twitter account, saying that he had contacted the police regarding the assault and that his “jaw is a mess.”
I got mugged playing Pokémon GO in Central Park. Still talking to police and will go to hospital soon. My jaw is a mess. Thanks all.
— rickeybot (@rickeybot) September 19, 2016
Rickey’s Twitch account was suspended following the attack, though he has confirmed that it will be back online within 24 hours. His channel was closed “due to terms of service violations,” according to the site, which was likely as a result of the violence depicted in the video.
Pokemon Go displays warning screens alerting players to be aware of their surroundings and to not venture into dangerous areas while playing the game. Shortly following its release on iOS and Android, police also warned that gangs were targeting players and stealing their phones by attracting them to various secluded areas by way of throwing down Lures. Rickeybot has confirmed that he has a high-quality video of the incident and that he has passed it over to the authorities.
