Knockout game: Fact or Fiction?


A disturbing and violent phenomenon has been catching notoriety around the country.  Known as the “knockout game”, the trend has found innocent victims being assaulted and traumatized. But how sure are authorities that these acts are part of a sick game or just random attacks?

The “game” involves one or more assailants attempting to knock out an unsuspecting bystander, usually with a single punch to the head. One of the more disturbing aspects of the game is that the attacker has no personal motive; it is committed for the amusement of the aggressors.

With the rise of easy-to-share videos going viral, so have games involving the dispeleasurement of victims, such as the “smack cam” trend that has gained popularity on the social video sharing mobile app Vine.

It is widely believed that many of the attacks could be race related. There have been several attacks on Jewish victims in Brooklyn in 2013. On November 24th, a man from Brooklyn, N.Y., was accused of committing a hate crime. Amrit Marajh, 28, was charged with harassment as a hate crime after he purportedly sucker punched a 24 year-old Orthodox Jewish man.

Public figures have been attempting to combat the growing panic the game has created around the country. Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and Rev. Al Sharpton both publicly condemned the knockout game and the targeting of people of Jewish descent. Republican New York State assemblyman Jim Tedisco drafted a bill titled Knockout Assault Deterrent Act, which would charge any perpetrators with a gang assault and a sentence up to 25 years.

At the same time, many media outlets have labeled the game as a myth and panic starter.

“We’re trying to determine whether or not this is a real phenomenon,” said Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly to the New York Times. “I mean, yes, something like this can happen. But we would like to have people come forward and give us any information they have.” Even one of the more widely known victims, Pittsburgh teacher James Addlesurger, seen being assaulted in an alley by a teenager in an online video, has denied that his attack was part of the game.

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