BKNews12: Brooklyn leaders publicly denounce so-called ‘knockout’ assaults
Local leaders are making a push to find ways to stop a rash of assaults believed to be associated with the so-called “knockout” game.
Brooklyn Representatives Hakeem Jeffries and Yvette Clark, Borough President-elect Eric Adams and members of the borough’s Jewish community publicly denounced the violence during a press conference at the Crown Heights Youth Collective, urging everyone to keep their eyes and ears open.
The attacks have become a national phenomenon where players are said to punch unsuspecting victims with the goal being to knock them unconscious.
In one of the most recent incidents, police say they’ve charged 28-year-old Amrit Marajh for allegedly punching a 24-year-old in Borough Park.
The Jewish Community Council is now offering a $1,500 reward for information leading to an arrest in the attack of a 12-year-old boy in Crown Heights, and authorities are also looking for whoever is behind the assault of a 78-year-old woman in Midwood.
At least two deaths around the country have been linked to the dangerous game. Authorities say impulsive teenage boys looking to impress their friends are mostly responsible.