A 20-year-old Korean-American man has been arrested after traveling 900 miles to attack a fellow gamer with a hammer following an altercation over an online game.
Edward Kang, a New Jersey resident, was arrested on June 23 after allegedly breaking into a home in Fernandina Beach, Florida, and assaulting Zachary Dinh with a hammer, according to the Nassau County Sheriff’s Department.
On June 21, Kang flew from Newark, New Jersey, to Jacksonville, Florida, after reportedly telling his parents that he was visiting a friend in Florida. He then checked into a hotel near the victim’s home and purchased a hammer and flashlight from a hardware store.
On June 23, Kang intruded into Dinh’s home through an unlocked door at around 2 a.m., wearing black clothes, gloves, and a mask and armed with a hammer. Kang waited for the victim, who was playing a video game in his room, to come out before striking him in the head with the hammer.
Dinh’s stepfather, who was awakened by his stepson’s screams, saw the struggle and immediately called the police. Dinh and his stepfather disarmed Kang and held him down until the sheriffs arrived on the scene, who then arrested Kang.
The Sheriff’s Department arrested Kang for attempted second-degree murder and armed burglary. The investigation found that the victim met Kang in a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, ArcheAge, developed by a Korean company, XL Games.
According to the Sheriff’s Department, Kang asked law enforcement during the investigation how long he was going to jail, and in a phone call with his mother after his arrest, he said he did not plan to murder the victim.
Dinh reportedly suffered a severe head injury, but it was determined to be non-life-threatening. He was later discharged from the hospital.
BY HOONSIK WOO [woo.hoonsik@koreadaily.com]
