From Silicon.com...

Friday 3rd January 2003   3:00pm

Youths take the fighting offline...

The US city of Los Angeles which has been plagued by gang warfare in the past is to crack down on its internet cafes after the popular hangouts started to become the centre of violent disturbances.

The final straw for LA officials was when a tournament of online game 'Counter Strike' erupted into a mass brawl. The fighting combatants' attention turned from their screens to their opponents and fights broke out - mirroring incidents at cafes across the city.

Among the more shocking reports from the recent rash of violent incidents was the shooting of a youth in one internet café, while another youth was badly beaten about the head with a chair. In a related attack another teenager was shot dead after leaving an internet café where he had been competing in an online game.

In the most recent outbreak of violence at the 'Counter Strike' tournament around 100 people were reported to be involved in the melee according to Reuters. Many wielded a variety of weapons ranging from metal pipes to chairs.

The problem has also spread to outlying areas. In the Orange County city of Garden Grove police have been called to disturbances at internet cafes more than 300 times in the past six months.