New York Pokémon Go player mugged while livestreaming

RickeyBot was livestreaming himself while playing the game near New York’s Central Park at 12 am when he was assaulted

Pokémon Go and controversy seem to go hand-in-hand.

Instances of players being mugged while trying to catch characters have been in the news of late. Now, footage of a gamer being assaulted and robbed has surfaced.

RickeyBot was livestreaming while playing Pokémon Go in the vicinity of New York's Central Park around midnight when he was assaulted by a suspect. The footage shows the suspect punching the unaware player in the neck, causing him to fall to the ground with his camera still on.



 

GIF: LIVESTREAMFAILS

The man then snatches the player's belongings, which include three mobile phones. The livestream caught the robbers face in the act which stays on while he flees with the loot. Pokemon Go's geolocation feature allowed authorities to determine that the assault had taken place next to the Sweeny Memorial Bench "Pokéstop"

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

Earlier this year, reports of armed robbers using the game to lure players to Pokéstops surfaced. The game has also been blamed for a spike in road incidents. Players were then advised to pay attention to their surroundings to keep themselves safe.

Pokémon Go crossed over 500 million downloads this month. The tremendous popularity of the game has stoked a fair share of controversies.

This article originally appeared on The Next Web.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7z6YPVsohzQ