GOTTA CATCH ‘EM BRAWL

Dad, 75, and Son, 35, Convicted of Beating Up Pokémon Go Rival

The warring gamers ended up falling into a lake during the fight, which took place on Father’s Day.

A father and son were convicted Wednesday of assaulting a rival Pokémon Go player over control of a park. Robert Matteuzzi, 75, and his son Angelo Matteuzzi, 35, were in a long-running feud with a competing team before the altercation on Father’s Day in June 2018. The augmented reality game turns real-life locations into “gyms” which teams can claim. Kirkwood Park in St. Louis is one such gym, and the ​Matteuzzis were arguing with a player from another team over who had the right to claim the area. The victim—who used the gaming alias “Sammy the Bull”—says the younger Matteuzzi started punching him, triggering a brawl that caused them both to fall into a lake in the park. The older Matteuzzi then jumped into the water to help his son. At trial, the father admitted holding the victim’s head underwater. “I just wanted to dunk him,” he testified. The fight ended when a bystander intervened. The victim was left with a traumatic eye injury and a broken fingertip along with other injuries, according to testimony.