Long Island teenagers who went on a video-game-inspired late-night crime spree were arraigned yesterday after police say they mugged a man outside a supermarket and menaced motorists with a baseball bat, a crowbar, and a broomstick, Newsday reports. The teens told detectives they were imitating the Grand Theft Auto video game series, where players steal cars, beat up other characters and score points for committing crimes. Police have identified at least three victims.
“They decide that they’re going to go do some street robberies, emulating the popular fictional character Niko Bellic,” said Nassau Detective Raymond Coté, referring to a star of Grand Theft Auto IV: Liberty City.
Link: http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/ny-lirobb0627,0,1124636.story