By Veronica Rocha
The Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — The mania surrounding “Pokeman Go” continued Thursday as more users found themselves in precarious situations while playing the augmented reality game.
In North San Diego County, two men fell off a bluff while playing the smartphone game, while farther north in Anaheim, a player was stabbed by group of men in a park recently.
The incidents come as law enforcement agencies across the nation are reporting a plethora of Pokemon-related attacks and odd happenings since the game was released last week.
On Wednesday, firefighters rescued two men who fell several stories after a sandy bluff they were standing on collapsed in Encinitas, according to authorities. The men, who were in their early 20s, were playing “Pokemon Go” at the time and were likely led to cliff when they were trying to catch characters, said Sgt. Rich Eaton of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
One man fell 75 to 100 feet, and the other was found unconscious 50 feet down the bluff. Both were taken to area trauma centers and suffered moderate injuries, Encinitas fire officials said.
The men, according to firefighters, had crossed a fenced area to get to the bluff.
“I think people just need to realize this is a game,” Eaton said. “It’s not worth your life. No game is worth your life.”
In Anaheim, a man who was playing the game into the wee hours Wednesday was stabbed multiple times by a group of men at a park, police said.
The victim, who was in his late 20s, was using the app in Schweitzer Park in the 200 block of Bel Air Street, when he encountered the group of men around 12:30 a.m., police said.
Anaheim police Sgt. Luis Correa said five to six men, ranging in age from teens to 20s, attacked the man and stabbed him several times.
A motive for the attack has not been determined, he said.
Correa said detectives don’t think the group lured the man to the park. Instead, they think he happened to run into them there.
The victim was taken to an area hospital, where he was in fair condition with injuries that did not appear life-threatening.
Wednesday’s attack should serve as a reminder to “Pokemon Go” players to pay attention to their surroundings, Correa said.
“Your focus should be on what’s in front of you, so you don’t lose sight of what is happening,” he said.
Law enforcement agencies have warned that the game could leave players vulnerable to criminals.
Just in California, two men were reportedly robbed and carjacked Sunday while playing the game and trying to catch fictional characters at a Sacramento County park.
Hundreds of miles south, a brother and sister were robbed of their smartphones Sunday while playing “Pokemon Go” in San Francisco.
Two former Marines playing the game in Fullerton on Tuesday helped nab a man who was wanted in connection with attempted murder in Sonoma County. They notified police after they noticed the man was bothering children at a playground.
But in the world of Pokemon, it’s not crime all the time. Some bizarre happenings also have been associated with the game.
In San Luis Obispo County, Dan De Vaul reported that his sober-living facility, Sunny Acres, had been a designated stop in the latest “Pokemon Go” craze. The facility houses released sex offenders, which was a concern for De Vaul because he said his clients can’t be around children.
“I have no idea what Pokemon is,” he said. “I have no idea who put the stop — if it was sabotage — because we don’t want kids showing up here.”
Copyright 2016 Los Angeles Times