Thai teen murders cab driver after playing Grand Theft Auto
Agence France-Presse
First Posted 14:01:00 08/04/2008
Filed Under: Games, Crime, Murder
BANGKOK--A Thai teenager incensed that he could not afford to play the violent computer game Grand Theft Auto robbed a taxi driver and stabbed him to death in his cab, police said Monday.
The 18-year-old male high-school student, whose name was withheld, was arrested on Sunday after police found the bloody body of a 50-year-old Bangkok taxi driver slumped in his car.
"He confessed that he committed the crime because he had copied it from the game he played," Bangkok police Captain Veerarit Pipatanasak told AFP.
The teenager was charged with robbery and possession of a weapon, and could face the death penalty or life imprisonment if convicted, Veerarit said.
"He wanted money to play the game. His parents, who work as civil servants, did not have enough money to give him," he added.
Instead, the teen spent his 500-baht ($15) allowance on two knives.
The Grand Theft Auto computer game series, which has sold about 70 million copies, has come under fire for its graphic depiction of casual violence, drug dealing and prostitution.
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