A 22-year-old Oregon man was stabbed earlier this week while he was playing "Pokémon Go," but he refused to go to the hospital for medical treatment until he could finish his Pokémon-hunting mission.
"Right after I was stabbed, I continued my mission to Plaid Pantry to get chips and beer," Michael Baker told KPTV.
Baker was walking around his Forest Grove neighborhood at around 1 a.m. on the way to the local convenience store when he said a man who also had a cellphone approached him. He asked him if he was also playing "Pokémon Go," and that led to the altercation.
"I saw him go by and asked if he was playing 'Pokémon Go.' He was like 'what?' I guess he wanted to battle because he came up at me with a knife," Baker told the station. The unknown attacker allegedly stabbed him in the shoulder.
Baker then continued to the 24-hour convenience store. A witness at the store apparently saw Baker's injury and called the police, who went to the store. The police department's description of the incident is quite surreal:
"Officers responded to the store, where the 22-year-old man had come in to buy chips and beer, as well as find a Pokémon. The man was able to give a description of his attacker, who allegedly stabbed the victim as they passed each other near 19th Avenue and Filbert Street. The victim refused medical treatment and continued his Pokémon hunt. The incident is under investigation."
This may have been the first Pokémon-related stabbing reported, but it is not the last. On Wednesday, police in Anaheim, California, reported that a man was stabbed while playing the game in a city park around midnight.
NBC Los Angeles reported that the victim is expected to survive.
"What we are encouraging is if you are going to play to do it safely, and not lose sight of what you're doing," Anaheim Police Sgt. Luis Correa told NBC. "Be aware of your surroundings. Do it in a manner that's safe so you don't get into trouble."
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