Ontario Woman Charged After Shooting Pokemon GO Players with Pellet Gun

Pokemon GO players are invading parks and other public areas, and one Newmarket, Ontario, woman took it upon herself to try to hurt or scare them with her pellet gun.

The woman shot at players from the rooftop of her apartment building on Saturday, and now faces weapons-related charges, reports the National Post:

Police in Newmarket, Ont. say Patricia Champagne, 29, climbed onto the roof of her two-storey apartment building late Saturday, and fired at least four pellets down onto the road.

Andy Pattenden of York Regional Police (YPR) said the woman did not explain why she did this, but it appears Pokemon GO had something to do with it.

“There’s a couple of areas in York Region where we’ve seen a significant increase in the number of people out on the streets and gathering in certain areas, playing this game,” he said.

Nobody was hurt or injured as the shots missed. Officers responded to calls of a woman “shooting a handgun-style pellet gun” from a roof at 10:30pm. After entering the apartment, officers arrested the woman and confiscated the pellet gun.

Champagne faces charges of assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. She’s been released from custody and is scheduled to appear in court in a month.

Pattenden explained they’ve received numerous calls regarding gatherings of Pokemon GO players, but “To date, everything’s been done in a lawful manner,” adding “We haven’t received reports of people trespassing or causing any issues.”

Pokemon GO officially launched in Canada nine days ago and has topped the App Store charts. Want to find all the Pokemon around you? Check out this app to do so.