Palm Coast, FL-Deputies are investigating an early Saturday morning incident where a Palm Coast homeowner shot at a Pokemon Go players outside his home. That happened outside a home at 41 Primrose Lane.
Deputies say the homeowner woke to a loud noise and he saw a small white car in the street outside his home with its brake lights on. He armed himself with a handgun and went outside. As he approached the car, he told deputies he heard someone say something like "did you get anything". He then stepped in front of the vehicle and told the driver not to move. He says that's when the driver accelerated toward him and he fired his gun.
Saturday around 10:30AM deputies got a call from a Palm Coast woman who said her 19-year-old son and a 16-year-old friend had been shot at overnight as they played Pokemon Go. The vehicle had a flat tire and bullet holes in it. The pair were not hurt. The man told his mother they heard someone say, "did you catch him?" and one of the teens said, "Yeah, did you?" before the gunshots.
The pair said they thought it was someone trying to scare them so they didn't contact law enforcement or tell their parents.
A list of tips below from FCSO.
Homeowners:
Call 911 immediately when you suspect someone is trying to break into your home.
If at all possible, be an excellent witness for law enforcement by providing valuable
information on what is occurring.
Avoid leaving the protection of your home to confront suspects. This should be handled by
trained law enforcement officers.
Pokémon Go Hunters:
Use common sense, be alert at all times and stay aware of your surroundings. In law
enforcement, we call this situational awareness.
Watch where you are going.
Do not drive or ride your bike, skateboard, or other device while interacting with the Pokémon
Go app. You cannot do both safely at the same time.
Do not trespass, go onto private property or into any area you usually would not if you weren’t
playing Pokémon Go.
Understand that people can use your location to lure you to “Pokéstops” so they can victimize
you.
Take a friend with you.
If you are a minor, check with a parent before going anywhere and tell an adult or law
enforcement officer immediately if anything happens.
Parents of Pokémon Go Hunters:
Talk to your kids about strangers and set limits on where your kids can go.
Be aware of third-party software apps claiming to enhance the gaming experience.
Unfortunately, many of these apps allow access to sensitive personal data.
2016 Southern Stone Communications Copyright
