MOSCOW, September 20 (RAPSI, Ingrid Burke) - The September 17 release of Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V) has gamers worldwide in a bit of a frenzy, as illustrated with brutal clarity in recent days according to a series of local news reports from the US and UK.
A developmentally disabled man was beaten Tuesday in Delray Beach, Florida and robbed of his copy of GTA V, the newly released and highly sought-after game he had spent months saving up his earnings at a US construction parts retailer to purchase, local news outlet The Sun Sentinel reported Wednesday.
According to the report, 21-year-old Rohan Dawkins had spent weeks saving his earnings from a part time retail job in anticipation of the game’s release. He had been turning up to the video game shop where it all went down on a weekly basis, paying installments ranging between $10-20.
No sooner did his efforts appear to have paid off when he picked up his copy of the game Tuesday afternoon, than were they dashed as a couple pulled up and robbed him.
The man asked Dawkins the time, before seizing the game and launching back into their car. Dawkins then attempted to open the door, at which point the woman began whaling on him, punching and kicking the intellectually disabled young man as the couple tore off.
Dawkins is quoted in the Sentinel as having explained described his reaction to the attack as follows: "I would let them know that it wasn't nice, and it hurt me."
The culprits turned out to be Tommy Davis and Adele Jones, a couple in their late 20s. They were arrested Thursday and have been charged with strong-armed robbery and dealing in stolen property, due to having apparently resold the video game for $60.
In less cynical news, the Delray Beach Police Department announced on its Facebook page that Dawkins GTA V rights have been restored at the hands of do-gooder citizens. The police department’s Facebook status update reads: “Thank you to everyone who has offered to buy Rohan a new GTA 5 game. A new game has been delivered to the police department and will be in the hands of our gamer friend tomorrow morning! Thank you for showing him that there are wonderful and generous people in this world. We have the best friends!!”
In other violent-GTA V-robbery news, a 23-year-old man who waited in line for the midnight release of the game in London was stabbed and then robbed shortly after successfully procuring it.
The young man was hit with a brick and then stabbed while on his way home from purchasing the game in the early hours of Tuesday morning, The Independent reported, citing a spokesperson at Scotland Yard.
Three teenagers between the ages of 15 and 18 were arrested on suspicion of robbery in connection with the case, The Independent reported the following day, adding that in addition to losing his GTA V game, the victim was robbed of his watch and cell phone. The report, published Wednesday, added that the young man was said to be in stable condition but still recovering in the hospital.
NBC Washington reported Thursday that a teenager was beaten and robbed in Virginia moments after having purchased the game shortly after midnight Tuesday morning. According to the report, as the teen was walking with a friend holding the game, two men approached, punched the kid holding the game, and pushed him to the ground before taking off with the game.
Arkansas news agency KATV reported Thursday that four men were robbed of the game at gun point after leaving the video game shop early Tuesday morning. The report featured a video interview with the primary victim, Jonathon Heird, who explained, “He put the gun to my temple and then in my mouth and told me he would blow my brains out if I dind not give him my wallet.” The thieves were described as men in their early 20s who had initially approached Heird and his friends in the empty parking lot asking for a lighter.
The highly anticipated GTA V is described on its official website as follows: “Set in a satirical reimagining of modern Southern California, Grand Theft Auto V offers players the freedom to explore the dense urban metropolis of Los Santos and the wide open countryside of Blaine County; plan and execute a series of epic heists; meet a vast array of strangers and freaks; or participate in a host of activities, from golf to arms trafficking, base jumping to yoga and much more.”
Critics of the game have raised issue with its gratuitous violence. Among the host players can expect to participate in, notably, is a torture scene. According to The Guardian, completion of the game requires the player to torture an alleged terrorist using such props as a sledgehammer and electric cables.