(NewsNation) — A New Jersey man allegedly took cyberbullying to a whole other level when he flew to Florida to attack another video game player after an online gaming dispute.
Edward Kang, 20, was arrested early Sunday morning and charged with attempted second-degree murder and armed burglary with a mask, according to the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office.
Kang and the victim, another gamer around his age, had never met in person but played ArcheAge, a medieval fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said at a news conference Monday.
Suspect used hammer in real-life attack
Kang flew from Newark to Jacksonville last Thursday after telling his mother that he was going to visit a friend he met while playing a video game, officials said. When he arrived, Kang took an Uber to a hotel in Fernandina Beach, about 35 miles north of Jacksonville, and then bought a hammer at a local hardware store, deputies said.
Kang went to the victim’s Fernandina Beach home, which was unlocked, around 2 a.m. Sunday, authorities said. The victim was walking out of his bedroom when he was confronted by Kang, who hit him on the head with the hammer, according to police.
“They discovered a significant amount of blood in the entryway of the victim’s home and the bedroom. The victim’s stepfather reported being awakened by screams for help. When he went to see what was going on he found his stepson on the ground struggling with the attacker who was in possession of a hammer,” Leeper said.
Authorities said Kang was dressed in all black, wearing a black mask and gloves during the incident but didn’t say how he learned where the victim lived.
The victim suffered severe head wounds that weren’t considered life-threatening, officials said. He received staples at the hospital.
Gamer was a ‘bad person’ online: Suspect
Authorities still don’t know why Kang attacked the victim, but they said he told investigators the other gamer was a “bad person online.”
Kang didn’t answer many of their questions but admitted to hitting the victim during a phone call with his mother, authorities said.
“Edward admitted to hitting the victim in the head with a hammer to his mother. Moreover, Ms. Kang asked if Edward went to the residence to kill (the victim) when the suspect replied ‘NO,’” the sheriff’s office said.
Online court records didn’t list an attorney for Kang. He was being held without bond.
ArcheAge’s publisher announced in April that it would be shutting down servers in Europe and North America on June 27, citing a declining number of active players.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.