File photo by Stephanie Rivera.

A 57-year-old homeless man was sentenced to seven years in state prison today for hitting a 17-year-old boy playing Pokemon Go in Long Beach last year.

Jayson Louis Lingen was sentenced after pleading no contest to one count of assault with a deadly weapon at today’s court appearance, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. He also admitted he was previously convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in 2013.

 

Prosecutors said that on the evening of August 17, 2016, the teen was roaming the downtown area playing the location-based reality game when Lingen “yelled at the victim and hit him in the head with a metal pole.”

Police were then called and took Lingen into custody, Deputy District Attorney Thushari Wijesinghe, who prosecuted the case, said.

Stephanie Rivera is the community engagement editor. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter at @StephRivera88.