Teenagers Go on GTA-Inspired Crime Spree in New York

Six teenagers reportedly went on a crime spree in Nassau County, New York, after having been inspired by action in the popular video game GTA IV. The video game, which details the criminal misadventures of a newly-landed immigrant from Eastern Europe, also takes place in a fictionalized version of New York City.
Well, at least they got the setting right. In a dumbass move that is sure to inspire even more political backlash against the content of video games, the six teenagers were caught after a night of mugging, destruction, and robbery that caused thousands of dollars in real-world damage.
After robbing a man in a local supermarket, the adolescents armed themselves with crowbars and bats. They reportedly stopped and robbed passers by, and smashed a van as it drove near the teenagers.
Two of the oldest boys arrested are Stephen Attard, 18, of 1st Avenue, New Hyde Park and Dylan Laird, 17, of Southborough, Massachusetts. A 14-year-old, 15-year-old and a 16-year-old were also charged with first-degree robbery, but their names have not been made public because they are minors.
Det. Sgt. Anthony Repalone confirmed that the boys had confessed to emulating the video game shortly after their arrest.
The six boys have been charged as adults. If convicted, they face a substantial maximum penalty of 5 years in real-world jail.
Tasty Talk. Join the conversation on the GameFlavor Forums!
GameFlavor Forums
- Join over 3 million people enjoying the widest range of free games including RPG, sports, racing, FPS and more!
- Get access to the largest downloading network on the planet!
- Overload Your Console! Unlimited Movies Downloads For PS3, PSP!
- Get instant access to unlimited game downloads! No download fees!
- Go PSP. Unlimited PSP Downloads!
- Net Games Now! Unlimited Video Game Downloads!



Comments
Anonymous
- June 27, 2008 12:56 PM
Great thats all we need is more heat from the government about video game violence. They had to say they were inspired by GTA which makes it more annoying.