Matthew Quain still struggles to piece together what happened after a trip to the grocery store nearly turned deadly. He remembers a group of loitering young people, then a dimly lit street, then nothing. The 51-year-old became another victim of "Knockout King" or simply "Knock Out," a so-called game of unprovoked violence that targets random victims. Reports of the attacks have come from around the country including Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Chicago. In St. Louis, an elderly immigrant from Vietnam died in an attack in April.
The rules are as simple as they are brutal. A group chooses a lead attacker, then seeks out a victim. Unlike typical gang violence or other street crime, the goal is not revenge, nor is it robbery. The victim is chosen at random, often someone unlikely to put up a fight. Many victims were elderly; most were alone. The attacker charges and begins punching. If the victim goes down, the group usually scatters. If not, others join in, punching and kicking, often until the person is unconscious or badly hurt. Sometimes the attacks are captured on cellphone video that is posted on websites. These scumbags have absolutely no respect for human life, and they need to be dealt with. This stupidity is just done for attention, and has no place in a decent society. I hope this carry-on doesn't spread to New Zealand. Planking was bad enough.
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