Men reportedly attacked by stranger armed with tire iron over 'Pokemon Go' game

VANCOUVER, Wash. (KATU) - Three men were relaxing on a park bench in Vancouver when they say a stranger pulled up in a car and attacked them with a tire iron, apparently upset over a "Pokemon Go" game.

Andrew Otton and two of his friends were hanging out at Vancouver's Burnt Bridge Creek Trail when a stranger reportedly parked his car and started charging at them.

"He comes out of nowhere, yelling, 'Which one of you is Andy?' with a tire iron in his hand," Otton said. "My username is AndySamberg, so he was looking for the Andy guy and I was just reviving my Pokemon when he was trying to take it out. I took it from him and I didn't know he just took it, and he was like, 'Hey, did you just take this gym from me? That's pretty messed up, man.' He was very angrily saying it."

Grayson Hagstrom, Otton's friend, said he was punched by the stranger several times.

"I got behind him and started choking him," Hagstrom said. "I figured if he didn't have consciousness, he wouldn't be that tough."

Court records say the suspect, who has been identified as Stephen Jolly, admits to hitting a table with a tire iron but not to punching any of the men. Otton and Hagstrom said they're not the only ones who have run into Jolly.

"We posted about it on Facebook and showed his license plate. Other people told us he's done this before and we were just the first to stop him," Hagstrom said.

Police don't have records of any similar incidents with Jolly. He told police he doesn't use drugs or alcohol, but does take medication for mental health issues. He's facing assault and malicious mischief charges.