Police Blame Youth Crime Spree On GTA

Police in Nassau County, New York, are blaming Grand Theft Auto for inspiring a late-night crime spree on Wednesday.

Six teenagers have been charged in the incident, which began when three of them mugged a man outside the Stop & Shop Grocery in New Hyde Park, according to a Newsday.com report. Later, the trio was joined by three other teenagers, who proceeded to march down the middle of a street in Garden City, blocking the road. Armed with baseball bats and a crowbar, the group robbed a female motorist of her cigarettes and struck a passing van with a bat before being apprehended by police.

"It was determined that they were emulating the character in that Grand Theft Auto game, going on a crime spree," said Detective Sergeant Anthony Repalone, who said the group's weapons and tactics were inspired by the game. "We got certain admissions" from the group, he added, although he refused to elaborate on which title in the GTA franchise was specifically responsible for the crimes.

While it no doubt took every ounce of the police department's law enforcement expertise, honed to a razor-sharp edge by years of experience, to reach this astonishing conclusion about "that Grand Theft Auto game," there are concerns about the validity of the theory. Grand theft auto was apparently not even attempted, much less committed, during the course of the evening's events, leading some analysts to suggest that responsibility may not like with GTA at all, but rather with the fact that these boys are just huge frickin' dumbasses.

The group, ranging in age from 14 to 18, faces charges including first-degree robbery and possession of stolen property, and all are being charged as adults.

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. . . Gee, kids acting like dumbasses. It must be the video games.

It's good that these kids are being tried as adults. They should do time for what they did, but I'm so tired of the media and police jumping to conclusions and giving Jack the Troll more reason to make noise. I bet he is trying to book TV dates in New York already.

While we are there, what other games have effected the world for the worse!? Ah, Sims and domestic violence! Army of Two and the war on terror! Medal of Honnor for WW2! Can you see the pattern?

Just because one idiot tried to be like Niko or Vercetti, doesn't mean that its bad, just that this kid was a thenominal tit! I do really wish people would stop grouping me in with a bunch of cretins who need to be locked up because we share an interest! What about football (soccer, as in real football) and violence? The amount of riots what start from that! No one has commented on that!

Where are their parents?

Every crime committed with a baseball bat is clearly the result of too much GTA. Before GTA, there were no baseball bats. Now, everywhere. Crowbar? Definitely Half Life's fault.
Youngster mugging, while not in a video game (that I'm aware of) is clearly an extrapolation of acts related to such behavior from video games.

Darn video games, they'll be the end of us.

Since when have we decided that everyone under the age of 18 are clinically retarded? At some point the media/government/schools have to realize that kids make their own decisions with their own reason, and nothing as subtle as a video game is going to affect that any more than their friends, teachers, and especially parents. Because we are so insistant on not saying it's the kid's or- god help us- the parent's fault, kids are going to be more willing to commit crimes, because they have an alibi: video games made them do it.

Video games being blamed for teenage violence? Perhaps I should check my sink to make sure my water isn't running red with blood, this is clearly a sign of the apocalyspe.

You know, if you walk down the middle of the street in grand theft auto swinging a baseball bat at random strangers, the Liberty City police will come pick you up too.

sounds as inspired by an average episode of CSI than by GTA tbh.

The goverment is using GTA as a scapegoat? SOMEBODY STOP THE PRESSES!!!!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v358/soldeejay/2r6ns4y.jpg

Until there's a newer medium than gaming, we'll always be the scapegoat for this kind of crap, no matter what the facts are. The same thing happened with films, TV, radio, certain genres of music and even novels. People just blame new things.

this always happens frist they blame doom and now gta although i can see why they blame but for real they also thought mass effect was to porno for kids

Wait, someone had a crowbar and they're blaiming GTA? Someone doesn't know their genres. I blame MIT grads.

Anyway. Shock and awe, people blame GTA for violence?

*sigh*

Lovely. Yet another ignorant person that decides video games are the sole aspect of juvineile violence. Probably never even played the game, doesn't know the plot and sees it as an all evil being. I'm not really all that shocked either. I knew this was coming as soon as GTAIV came out.

Although I'd love to point out that the music industry doesn't seem to get as much hype put around them as the video game industry. Or at least from what I've heard. Or the movie industry! Good grief, the Saw films alone are a hotbed of instructional videos on torturing people (for a noble cause?). Heck, even today's sitcoms are becoming a hotbed of immorality.

So in short, nowhere is safe. :O

ok honestly why do all adults blame things on video games. It is true that video games are widely influential of our moods, but their is a barrier that prevents us from going to far which happens to be called "reality", if kids cant realize that they're in the real world and should not be doing this then its more like that they "huge frickin' dumbasses"

Pebsy:
ok honestly why do all adults blame things on video games. It is true that video games are widely influential of our moods, but their is a barrier that prevents us from going to far which happens to be called "reality", if kids cant realize that they're in the real world and should not be doing this then its more like that they "huge frickin' dumbasses"

It's because those adults are the parents of the kids who are doing this, and instead of admitting that it's their fault, they decide to use video games as a scapegoat.

I definitely have to go with the "these kids are dumbasses" theory on this one. I'm going to have to add the "these cops are dumbasses, too" theory. Even if the kids are flat out saying that they were emulating a character from GTA, it sure doesn't make GTA at fault. They would have just emulated characters from some movie or something like that. Idiots.

I want to flail my hands about in the air and scream about idiocy, but sadly I'm used to news like this. Seriously, though, kids do stupid things and have done so long before video games ever existed. Hell, adults aren't any less guilty. Tacking blame onto a video game just takes the responsibility off parents, community and, in some regards, the offenders themselves.

Did it say the kids' blamed the games?

They were not inspired by the game they are just retarded! It is just an easy scapegoat to blame it on.

I dunno if we should call these guys retarded. If the police honestly think that GTA is to blame, they might be so incompetent the boys thought they could get away with it.

TomNook:
Where are their parents?

Playing videogames.

All bad things are linked to videogames nowadays.

TomNook:
Where are their parents?

Most of us parents are pretty good about buying these games for our kids and trusting in their savvy and burgeoning maturity when playing them..... but like myself, a lot of us were taken completely by surprise by GTA.

Some kids seem vulnerable to the mental affects of GTA. Why? I don't have a clue. My 15 yo son went from average kid to smashing windows, holes in the walls, and disgusting verbal tirades after seeming to be addicted to his Christmas present a couple of years ago. We took away the game and had to pursue psychological help for him for months. Things returned to a peaceful place until about 4 months ago when he found an online version and once again became addicted and violently agressive. Took away the computer and gradually he came down again. We've just now returned his computer to him with hope, trust and prayer that he will not (as he has promised), return to the game.

Not all games are bad, but GTA is worth being cautious about.

That's still a far cry from going out on a crime spree, though. I can believe a kid can be somewhat influenced, albeit maybe indirectly, from a game like this if they are impressionable, but not to the point of stealing cigarettes from someone.

I'm thinking most of the posters in the thread didn't actually read the article, and instead jumped into the standard "head in the ground" position regarding the effects of games on individual.

From the article: "The teens told detectives they were imitating the "Grand Theft Auto" video-game series where characters steal cars, beat up other characters and commit crimes, authorities said."

My only question is - why wouldn't you believe it's true? If the kids said they did something in a game, and tried to emulate it in the streets, why not believe them? People are dumb, and imitate things they're exposed to - even bad things. Hell, a great deal of who you are right now is based on modeling from a million different sources, including movies, friends, and *gasp* games. Why when it involves a personal hobby is it suddenly so unbelievable?

Governments blanket blaming videogames for mass social problems are overreaching, sure.

But gamers who insist that their hobby doesn't affect them in any way are similarly illogical - they're just arguing in the opposite direction. "don't say my hobby has any negative effects!"

I'm not sure either side should get much respect for their positions until they approach the issue a little more logically.

In the few places where the media is allowing comment from the public...

Check out these universally disdainful where-were-the-parents? replies on the super-sweet non-GTA-playing "geeksugar" and NYDailyNews.com:

http://www.geeksugar.com/1740403#comments
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2008/06/26/2008-06-26_six_long_island_teens_busted_in_grand_th-1.html

Common sense, Dr. Phil would say, is making a comeback.

Lt. Sera:
Every crime committed with a baseball bat is clearly the result of too much GTA. Before GTA, there were no baseball bats. Now, everywhere. Crowbar? Definitely Half Life's fault.
Youngster mugging, while not in a video game (that I'm aware of) is clearly an extrapolation of acts related to such behavior from video games.

Darn video games, they'll be the end of us.

Haha, where was JT during the shoplifting spree of the '90s inspired by Link's Awakening?

Seriously, though. I wouldn't be surprised if GTA was responsible for the act, but there are some other issues at hand if the kids are that impressionable...

TomNook:
Where are their parents?

A very good question. How about the police, instead of bashing video games, ask the parents about the circumstances of the crime. Maybe we'll learn the kids are violent because of negligent parents, or mental illness or something.

I remember when the world was a 100% crime free Utopia before GTA.

Man GTA is such a horrible thing, I can't believe it inspires people to commit such horrible acts of crime. (It couldn't possibly be the other way around...right?)

UpInSmoke:
You know, if you walk down the middle of the street in grand theft auto swinging a baseball bat at random strangers, the Liberty City police will come pick you up too.

Hahahaha. Fucking seconded.

Also, insert sarcastic remark about video games being blamed for violence here.

Don't worry folks, only a couple of years left and the politicians and media will find a new scapegoat for trying to figure out what is wrong with young people.

Of course he's going to blame GTA. He can't get away with blaming rap lyrics, D&D, heavy metal music, comic books, dancing, or reading the New Testament aloud in English anymore.

-- Steve

Im glad that they are being charged as adults. It is so easy to blame GTA, that poor defensless game, but what about the parents? The parents should still be held libal, even though the kids are being charaged as adults, for buying their kids this game. And, even if they did'nt buy this game for them, they should still be aware of what is happening in their kids lives because everyone involved seems easily impressionable.

Im glad that they are being charged as adults. It is so easy to blame GTA, that poor defensless game, but what about the parents? The parents should still be held libal, even though the kids are being charaged as adults, for buying their kids this game. And, even if they did'nt buy this game for them, they should still be aware of what is happening in their kids lives because everyone involved seems easily impressionable.

Uhhh... why is this in The "News" Room? There should be a whole new section called the "Old News" Room for these stories.

They always seem to ignore the fact that there are repercussions in GTA, and it isn't a simple "Running over hookers to gain points"-athon.