The “knockout game” may have come to California, as a San Diego man was reportedly punched in the face last week while he was walking on the sidewalk. The alleged assailant was not arrested and was only given a citation because there were reportedly no other witnesses to the attack.
Victoria Hyatt “said her husband is not ready to speak about the incident himself,” as “his face is still swollen and red,” but “she wants everyone to know it is the result of someone sucker-punching him in the face for no apparent reason.” She indicated her husband may press charges against the assailant.
“They weren’t talking to each other,” she told NBC San Diego. “They were just standing next to each other and then out of the blue, the light changed for him to walk across the crosswalk and he just… bam, hit him as hard as he could.”
According to Hyatt, “what happened next is just as bizarre. The man simply walked away while her husband stumbled back to his office to report his assault to police.” Hyatt then went online and “believes he is the victim of a stunning nationwide trend called the ‘knockout’ game.”
“When the man hit him, he just walked on like nothing had happened. That’s what so shocking,” said Hyatt.
The “knockout game” has been played most by black youth. Victims have been mostly white and Jewish, while some have also been of Asian descent.
“Be more aware of who’s around you–what’s going on around you,” Hyatt warned, before sending a message to those playing the “knockout game”: “Knock it off. Knock it off. You’re hurting a lot of people and it’s not a game. It’s not a game.”