Florida ‘Knockout Game’ Victim Was Asked If He Was Armed Before Being Attacked


A Florida man found himself the victim of the strange, violent assault fad called the “knockout game” last week. The Florida Times-Union reported that a witness called the authorities after she saw one of four juveniles punch a man in the face with no clear provocation. The victim was reportedly walking along the beach, and the teens involved fled to the intersection of Fourth Street and Davis Street in Neptune Beach, Florida.

The victim of the violent, unexpected crime told the Neptune Beach police that he was approached by a teenager who asked if if he was carrying a “Glock.” Not realizing what was happening, the victim relayed to the young man that he was not armed. When the teen learned that the man was not carrying a concealed firearm, the man was suddenly attacked. The victim told the Neptune Beach police that he believed he was the victim of the so-called “knockout game.”

The Washington Times reported:

“The ‘knockout game’ has grown in popularity among teenagers across the country. The object of the ‘game’ is to knock a stranger unconscious. In several instances, victims have been severely injured or have died.”

The victim told the police that he feared he would’ve been beaten until he was completely knocked out or dead. Thinking quickly, he used a pocket knife that was in his waistband and pretended it was a firearm. Once the young men believed the victim of the assault was armed, the assailants ran off. Police apprehended the four juveniles involved and took them into custody, according to The Florida Times-Union.

The victim positively identified one of the young men in police custody as the knockout game criminal that assaulted him. The boy he identified was a 15-year-old from Atlantic Beach. The teen denied being involved initially, but confessed quickly to his accused crime. The child’s mother was unable to be located. The 15-year-old was charged with battery and taken to the county jail. According to police, one of the other boys that was apprehended from the group had been reported missing. He was a suspect in a series of bicycle thefts. That boy was also arrested.

Friday, WHO TV reported that a 15-year-old girl was assaulted by strangers Monday afternoon as a result of the fad while walking to the store. The perpetrators of these unprovoked assaults seem to look for targets who will not or could not fight back. Sometimes, they pick the wrong victims though. The Inquisitr reported on another attempt by juveniles to knock a victim out for mere amusement this summer. In that situation, the victims managed to chase down the attackers, called them cowards, and get the authorities. Last fall, an armed knockout game victim fought back and shot his attacker twice after being attacked by a teen who called the senseless violence “a game.” The fear of being shot likely stopped the Florida teens from more seriously injuring their victim with the criminally violent fad coined the “knockout game.”

[Photo of Fourth and Davis intersection via Google Maps]

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