A New Jersey man was charged with attempted first-degree murder over the weekend after flying to Florida and allegedly attacking another player with a hammer over an argument in an MMORPG, police said.
On the morning of June 23, Edward Kang, a 20-year-old man, was arrested by Nassau County police in Florida after arriving at the home of Zachary Dinh and allegedly attacking him with a hammer he had purchased from a store shortly before the attack. According to police, as reported by The New York TimesKang had never met Dinh in person, but the two had reportedly been in contact in MMORPG ArcheAge.
At this point, it is not known exactly what happened between the two men online in the MMORPG, but police said the hammer attack was sparked by “an online altercation” within ArcheAge.
“I don’t know what happened between the victim and the suspect, but something caused the suspect to come to Florida and hurt the other person,” Sheriff Bill Leeper said.
According to police, Kang flew from Newark to Jacksonville and then checked into a hotel in Florida on June 21. Kang reportedly told his family he was traveling to Florida to visit a friend. After arriving in Florida, Kang visited a local hardware store and purchased a hammer and flashlight. Then early Sunday morning, dressed all in black and wearing a mask, Kang arrived at Dinh’s home and entered through an unlocked door. Once inside, Kang reportedly began attacking the victim with a hammer. Dinh’s stepfather heard the commotion and intervened. The two then worked together to subdue the attacker and called police.
The New York Times Reports said Dinh was treated at a hospital for severe head injuries and later released. Kang was charged with attempted murder and armed burglary. He is currently being held without bail in a Nassau County jail. Kang reportedly called his mother and admitted to attacking someone, but said he did not intend to kill Dinh.
“It’s a strange thing,” Sheriff Leeper said during a press conference. “Some things you say, ‘Hmm.’ Some things you just can’t make up. Some things you say, ‘What in the world was he thinking?’ And some things you say, ‘You’re not going to believe this.’ In this case, you say all four things.”
When police questioned Kang about why he attacked Dinh with a hammer, he simply said, “He is a bad person on the internet.”
Ironic, ArcheAge—the MMORPG where Kang and Dinh interacted and which led to this whole attack—closed on June 27 due to lack of users.
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