Knockout, also known as the knockout game and knockout king, is a violent "game" played by American teenagers in which they attack an innocent pedestrian in an attempt to knock him or her unconscious with one punch.[1] The game can result in serious injuries or death for its victims and corresponding criminal charges for those playing it.
Cases involving teens playing knockout come to light when extremely serious consequences result. In one such case, in 1992, three teens were charged with assaulting an MIT student while he and a friend were walking near campus. Prosecutors said that one of the teens stabbed the student through the heart, killing him.[2] In another case, a St. Louis, Missouri teenager and his friends allegedly attacked a couple as they were walking home from the market. After one of the teens struck the man, he hit his head on the ground and ultimately died in the hospital.[3]
Both cases involved immigrants. The MIT student was Norwegian and was chatting with a compatriot when he was killed. The victim in St. Louis was a Vietnamese immigrant that was walking home from the Vietnamese market with his wife. Although authorities are unsure whether immigrants are targeted, the fact that immigrants are victims often makes other immigrants in the same area feel more at risk.