A “game” known simply as “knockout” has grown in popularity among teenage boys in the northeastern United States in recent years, and it now appears to have surfaced in Birmingham, Alabama, as well.
The game consists of choosing a random, defenseless person on the street and attempting to knock them out in one punch. The ultimate victory in the game? A “one-hitter-quitter,” a punch that leaves the unsuspecting victim instantly knocked out cold.
New York City’s local CBS affiliate took to the streets of New Jersey to conduct an investigative report on the growing number of inner-city teens participating in the violent game.
“You try to hit with one swing and completely knock them out,” one of the teens told the CBS reporter. “Knockout is, like, when you just punch somebody and they just go to sleep when you hit them,” another teen chimed in.
One such attack caught on tape by a surveillance camera showed a 50-year-old teacher named James Addlespurger casually walking by a group of teenage boys when one of them suddenly punches him in the head, leaving him motionless on the pavement. The boys walk away laughing.
“What’s the point,” the CBS reporter asked a teen on the street. “Like, for the fun of it. Like, for little kids to run around, hit people and knock them out,” the teen replied. “It’s just more like picking a target that’s alone, defenseless. They just go ‘boom’ when it’s the right time, right place.”
This week, the Citizens Action Patrol (CAP) is warning that “knockout” has found its way to downtown Birmingham.
Recently one evening, about 8:45 pm, there was an incident downtown that police believe may have been an instance of what is called a “knockout game.” A man stepped out to smoke a cigarette and a small dark colored car of teenagers (black males) stopped and beat him while another filmed the incident. Police have a video and are working on identifying the suspects, but if you are out at night please be aware of this and report anything suspicious.
To our knowledge this is the first time something like this has happened downtown, but it has been noted in other parts of the country for a couple of years.
This is the first known occurrence of the knockout game in Birmingham, but CAP is encouraging citizens to remain vigilant and to take advantage of their free services in the downtown area.
“Remember CAP is Downtown (251-0111) and available to escort you to or from your car Monday-Friday from 7 am to midnight and Saturday from noon to midnight,” said CAP executive director Teresa Thorne. “If you see something, say something!”
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