Suburban witness on plot: 'This doesn't happen at Pokémon'

A Mundelein mom who was at the World Pokémon Championship in Boston with five local student competitors said people were "stunned" when they heard police had foiled a possible violent attack involving some of the game's top players.

Boston police say two men from Iowa, ages 18 and 27, made online threats to other Pokémon players referencing the Columbine High School shootings and the Boston Marathon bombings, and then arrived at the tournament with a 12-gauge shotgun, an AR-15 rifle, and several hundred rounds of ammunition in their car.

Kevin Norton, 18, of Ames, Iowa, and James Stumbo, 27, of Boone, Iowa, were arrested when they arrived to register for the tournament, after driving 25 hours to Massachusetts. They were ordered held without bail on gun charges Monday pending a Sept. 1 hearing.

Rebecca Cartwright was among at least a dozen suburban residents at the championships. Cartwright, who heads up the Pokémon group Ace Trainers League at the Fremont Public Library in Mundelein, said most players and their parents had no idea what had happened until Sunday afternoon, when the tournament was wrapping up and the news started to spread on social media.

"It was utter disbelief. Everyone was just stunned," said Cartwright, whose free league draws as many as 50 people to the library every Saturday. "This doesn't happen at Pokémon."

The only abnormal thing Cartwright noticed was beefed up security, which she wrote off to it being a world tournament.

She said many people missed, or waited in long lines to get into, Friday's opening ceremonies because the convention center remained closed until 30 minutes before the event started and security officers then did bag checks, which she said is unusual.

Police also had bomb-sniffing dogs walking around the crowd, she said.

"It was all handled very calmly," said Cartwright, praising the organizers and police. "I'm glad we're having this conversation rather than one where we ask why people didn't take action."

Cartwright said many people at the tournament knew - or knew of - the two suspects because they'd been at past tournaments and were skilled players.

She acknowledged that Pokémon competitions can be intense, but are "done in a very nice way" to emphasize good sportsmanship, fun and camaraderie among kids.

"The consensus in the community, from people who know these guys, is that they're not evil doers and they weren't intending to hurt anyone. The thought is they were a bunch of idiots," she said.

Two of the five children from Ace Trainers League won college scholarships during the tournament, including Gwen Edgar, 11, of Libertyville, who finished in the Top 15 in the junior video game division, and Evan Smith, 11, of Long Grove, who won the junior trading card game division.

Pokémon is a Japanese card and Nintendo video game that features fictional creatures who players train, capture and fight.

People who play are part of a tight-knight community, most of whom are children or young adults, and they compete among others their age.

To be invited to the world championships, you have to finish in the top 24 of the national tournament.

Cartwright told her 11- and 8-year-old children, who both competed at "worlds," about what happened in age-appropriate language.

"This is a good way to open up a conversation ... that your words have impact. You need to think carefully about the things you say," she said. 'Unfortunately, in this world, we're getting more and more practice about what to say to your children in this situation."

• Daily Herald wire reports contributed to this story.