It's hitting the press now! Of course, OD will still deny it!
'Knockout game' leads to arrests, more police patrols
Marisol Bello , USA TODAY 8:16 p.m. EST November 23, 2013
The 'knockout game' involves young people randomly trying to knock down strangers in one punch.
Attacks occurred in New York, Washington, D.C., New Haven, Conn., and suburban Philadelphia.
New York police have charged one man in an attack last week
The dangerous "knockout" attacks on strangers in large U.S. cities are leading to arrests, more officers flooding the streets and more warnings for vigilance among an unsuspecting public.
Perpetrators have dubbed the violent practice as the "knockout game," where young people try to randomly knock out strangers with one punch.
The attacks have raised concerns across the country. Recent attacks have occurred in New York, New Haven, Conn., Washington, D.C. and suburban Philadelphia. But the violent attacks go back several years. In 2011, St. Louis, Mo. had a rash of incidents, one of which led to the killing of a Vietnamese immigrant.
Some of the assaults are recorded and posted on social media by the attackers.
In New York, police have charged Amrit Marajh, 28, with two felony hate crimes after they said he assaulted a 24-year-old Jewish man wearing a yarmulke Friday in Brooklyn, NYPD Sgt. Carlos Nieves said.
Marajh, who is Trinidadian, was talking about the knockout games with three other men and said an anti-Semitic statement just before the incident, Nieves said.
All four men were taken into police custody shortly after the 2:45 a.m. attack, but Nieves said only Marajh is believed to have participated in the assault.
Marajh, of Brooklyn, is charged with aggravated harassment as a hate crime, assault as a hate crime and misdemeanor assault, Nieves said. The victim was not seriously injured.
New York police Sgt. Brendan Ryan said in an e-mail that extra officers have been assigned to the Crown Heights area of Brooklyn. The NYPD wouldn't confirm how many knockout assaults have happened so far.
The attacks in New York have racial overtones because the attackers are black and the victims have been Jewish.
In New Haven, Conn., police spokesman David Hartman said police are investigating six incidents in the last month as part of the knockout trend. He said investigators have identified three people of interest, though no arrests have been made.
He said no one suffered serious injuries in any of the cases. But as a result of the attacks, he said, more undercover officers are patrolling downtown and a neighborhood called South Hill, where five of the assaults occurred.
"I think the fact that this has been labeled a game is sickening," Hartman said. "This is not a game. This is violent."
Will Marling, the executive director of the National Organization for Victim Assistance, said this trend is not an epidemic.
"But it could be the start of one," he said, because the attacks have a social media component that could go viral. "As experience shows, other kids will see this is an easy thing to do and then it becomes group think."
He said the attacks are an example of why there is a need for a deeper conversation with young people about respect.
Michelle Boykins, a spokeswoman for the National Crime Prevention Council, said what is so disturbing about the trend is that it is so random and the intent is to hurt someone seriously.
She said that the instances often involve someone walking alone, so she suggests the tried-and-true ways to stay safe: walk with a friend and always remain aware of your surroundings.
"There is safety in numbers," she said. "And if you are by yourself, there is nothing wrong for you to decide to cross the street if you see a group of people walking toward you."
