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MILL CREEK, Wash. - Two boys who were attacked at a Dollar Tree in Mill Creek said they were chased into the store after calling a man a video game insult. One of the boys was hospitalized after being stabbed.
Joshua Federov said he and his 11-year-old friend were hanging out near the Thomas Lake Shopping Center on March 22 when they encountered a man in the area.
"He was at the crosswalk and we were on the hill at the dollar store, and then we yelled "NPC" and he jaywalked across the street and then started chasing us into the dollar store," said Federov.
NPC stands for non-playable character. It's a video game term described as a game character that isn't controlled by a player and is sometimes used as an insult, with the connotation that the individual doesn't have agency or critical thought.
Federov said he didn't think the man would react the way he did.
"We're going to be fine if we just run into the dollar store. That's what I thought," said Federov. "When I saw him pull out a knife, I realized it wasn't a joke."