Attempted Robbery Unfolds On Gamer's Livestreaming Webcam

Fans of DOTA 2 normally tune into the live-stream of a gamer known as "Sajadene" to watch her and teammates attempt to destroy opposing players' Ancients. But on Monday, what started as a normal match stream turned scary when two men broke into Sajadene's home in Tempe, Arizona, and part of the attempted robbery was caught on camera.

Viewers of the stream, as well as teammates, were immediately concerned when yelling could be heard off camera, and Sajadene (real name Nikki Elise) left her computer. Soon after, a man holding a handgun stepped into frame, and then out again.

People on the Web knew something was wrong. They immediately posted on message boards, Reddit, and the streaming service Twitch to find someone who might know something about where the Elise lives. After about 15 minutes, the man with the gun came back into the room, took Elise's own firearms, shut off the light, and disconnected the webcam. Viewers on Twitch uploaded the video to YouTube.

Arizona's 3TV reports that one of the viewers, a man in Europe, got in touch with a friend of Elise's in Arizona, who called Tempe police. Officers arrived at the home shortly after, and were able to arrest one of the suspects, 27-year-old Edgardo Martinez. The other suspect remains at large, and might be carrying a handgun.

Soon after, Twitter and Reddit user "Cyborgmatt" got in touch with Elise, and he was able to tell the thousands of people now watching the drama unfold online that she and another person in the apartment at the time, another popular gamer with the handle "SUNSfan," were fine, but shaken up.

Late Monday night, Elise posted a Facebook status update thanking the people online who helped, noting that things could have gone a different way considering that her neighbors did not call the authorities. She added, “We owe you our love and gratitude and life.”

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