Reports: Alleged trend of 'knockout game' a myth
Melanie Eversley, USA TODAY 11:31 a.m. EST November 26, 2013News outlets say there is no data to support notion that 'knockout game' is growing trend.
Recent reports indicate that the 'Knockout Game' might be an urban myth.(Photo: By Carolyn Kaster, AP)

Story Highlights
Police officials are saying assaults have actually been random
FBI data shows .7% rise in assaults using 'hands and fists'
People in some communities have become fearful of the alleged game
SHARE 6117
CONNECT 391
TWEET 566
COMMENTEMAILMORESome news organizations are refuting the existence of an alleged phenomenon known as the "knockout game" that has been the subject of media warnings in recent weeks.

According to reports by CNN, the Today show, USA TODAY and others, the game takes place when young people randomly assault strangers in an attempt to knock them out with one punch.

The attacks are leading to arrests, more officers on the streets and warnings for vigilance among the public, law enforcement officials and victims advocates told USA TODAY. In New Haven, Conn., police spokesman David Hartman said police are investigating six incidents in the past month as possible "knockouts."

But police officials in several cities where the attacks have been reported say the knockout game is an urban myth, and that attacks that have received recent attention in the media have been random assaults, the New York Times is reporting.

"We're trying to determine whether or not this is a real phenomenon," the news organization quotes New York police commissioner Raymond Kelly as saying. "I mean, yes, something like this can happen. But we would like to have people come forward and give us any information they have."

A column on Slate.com reports that while the game does exist, there is no hard data to support the notion that it is a growing trend that has reached epidemic levels. It also refutes the suggestion by some news organizations that some of the attacks have been racially motivated.

The Slate piece makes reference to another piece on the patheos.com website that says, "Nobody seems to have any evidence that it's spreading, or that it's new, or that it's racially motivated."

The piece continues, "Most sources claim that it is spreading, and a number of sources claim that it is racially motivated. But how do they know? Where are they getting their data from?"

In New York, reports appear to have blossomed in recent weeks. Two weeks ago, a 78-year-old woman reported she was punched in the head, the Times reports.

The Jewish community has been fearful too. One Hasidic teen said he was approached by eight men and punched in the face by one of them, Democratic New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind told the Times. According to the news organization, the city is panicked.

"It's sick, it's scary," Hikind is quoted as saying.

The Daily Beast reports that assaults with "hands and fists" in America rose .7% from 2011 to 2012, according to the FBI.

"The 'knockout game' may or may not be a new phenomenon, but with a few instances out of tens of thousands of assaults, it's not a trend, and media outlets shouldn't treat it as one," the news organization reports.

Appears to be real to me.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/22/justice/k ... -assaults/

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/11/19/ ... -all-over/

http://abcnews.go.com/US/knockout-game- ... d=20992590

I suppose the next thing they will tell us is that there is no such thing as criminal black flash mobs. Amazing how the MSM runs interference for certain groups. Are they going to tell us that the 12.5% black population is not doing half of the nation's murders and armed robberies?

This trend may not be as big as some would make it out, but it is still a trend with black teens.

It is very real. Its the lib media that are tryin to play it down. I guess it is too much for them to handle and they dont want to face the facts

I heard on Rush yesterday that there is a professor ( forgot what college) but I think it may be ivy league one, any way he said that the problem is the white people in the world and that we need to get rid of white people all together and that would fix the worlds raceism problem. This professor that said this is white. It amazes me how retarted these people are. They want to blame everything on whitey and not face the facts that blacks and other minorities commit much more of the crimes than white people. What ethnic group is playing the knock out game, robing, flash mob, gangs, rapes, drugs and murders. That would be blacks. I know that not all white people are good and there are some that comit crimes but you dont see a family of 8 going in to gether and steal like there was the other day. A family mom, dad, kids from 15 down to 3 went in and stole a couple of IPads. The parents had the kids go under the counter and undo the security lock on them and off they went. They were a family of blacks. But white people are the problem. I guess we made them go in the store and steal.....