BANGKOK, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- A distributor ordered Grand Theft Auto IV pulled from stores in Thailand after a teen said he killed a cab driver by recreating a scene from the video game.
New Era Interactive, one of the largest game distributors in Asia, told its retail customers to "pull the games from service" after a 19-year-old allegedly stabbed a Bangkok taxi driver and tried to steal his vehicle last weekend.
The Times of London Tuesday said the youth told police he had been playing Grand Theft Auto IV at an arcade and needed cash to continue feeding the machine. Investigators said the alleged assault appeared to be patterned after a violent scene in the game in which the player hijacks a cab to escape from police.
Police said the suspect, Polwat Chino, showed no signs of mental illness but was an "obsessive" video game player.
