The “knock out” game may be making its way back, and it’s scaring people as Halloween nears, especially New Yorkers where a man was recently sucker punched outside of a restaurant.
New York Post reports that the victim, a 43-year-old male, stood outside the Shake Shack, a burger joint in Brooklyn, when a group of teens approached at around 9:15 p.m. on Thursday. One of the teens punched him in the face, knocking him down before fleeing.
“It’s not cool,” a Shake Shack employee told NY Post. “Yeah, I’m scared. What if I’m next?”
To make matters worse, one of the teens stopped to take a selfie photo as he stood over the unconscious man on the ground.
“He started walking to the kids. They were mocking him, distracting him,” said an unidentified witness, according to NY Daily News. “One of the boys hung back. He took his jacket off, wound up and hit him.”
The knockout out game involves assaulting innocent people without cause or warning. The victims are chosen at random as a group of people, primarily teenagers, walk up to the unsuspecting person and throw a sucker-punch. Generally, just one person in the group will attack the unsuspecting person before the group flees. It’s been known as the “one hitter quitter” and the “knock em’ and drop em'” game.
The malicious “game” gained popularity several years ago as teens across the nation started participating, leaving some people physically damaged for life and in some instance, dead. In 2016, Mardoquo Sincal Jochola, 30, died in Philadelphia after a group of teens sucker-punched him at random, according to CBS.
The Topeka Capitol Police in Kansas provided the following tips to help people lessen their chances of becoming victims to the heartless game.
- Stick to areas that are relatively safe if possible, and if possible, never go alone. Chances of becoming a target are lower when people are in groups.
- Beware of your environment at all times; don’t get lost in a song with your earbuds on or get distracted by your cellphone while walking in public.
- Don’t be afraid to look a group of teens or anyone else directly in the eye, which can show confidence, according to “How to Survive It.”
- Take defense classes and learn how to defend yourself from random, unprovoked attacks.
- Dial 911 immediately if you feel threatened.
RELATED: CrimeOnline founder Nancy Grace analyzed this story on Daily Mail TV. Watch below:
[Feature Photo: Pexels]
