Twenty-year-old New Jersey resident Eric Kang is facing an attempted murder charge after allegedly flying hundreds of miles to attack a fellow ArcheAge player with a hammer in the wake of an online dispute the two had while playing the game.
According to police (via ABC News), Kang told his family he was visiting a friend, then boarded a flight to Florida to confront the victim. Wearing black clothes, gloves, and a mask, Kang allegedly entered the victim’s home via an unlocked door. Kang waited for the victim–who was gaming at the time–to get up to use the restroom, then attacked him with a hammer.
The victim–who police say is close in age to his assailant–managed to pin Kang to the ground during the altercation. The victim’s stepfather was asleep at the time, but woke up when he heard his stepson calling for help. Together, the two men reportedly subdued Kang until authorities arrived.
“Upon arrival, [the responding officers] discovered a significant amount of blood in the entryway of the home and the victim’s bedroom,” Nassau Counter sheriff Bill Leeper said during a recent press conference.
The victim sustained severe head wounds during the attack, but has been released from the hospital.
When asked about a motive, Kang reportedly told the sheriff’s deputies that the victim is “a bad person online.” Leeper stated during the press conference that Kang’s charges may be upgraded pending further investigation.
“I would say, Mr. Kang, it will be a long time before you play video games,” Leeper said during the press conference.
Interestingly, ArcheAge–the Korean MMORPG where Kang met his victim–is shutting down its US servers on Thursday, June 27. This has nothing to do with the assault, and the announcement was made back in April, with a declining active player count cited as the reason for the shutdown.
“This incident serves as a stark reminder of the potential real-world consequences of online interaction,” Leeper said of the assault.
