Dramatic cellphone video captured Saturday night shows a violent teen mob in Memphis terrorizing a Kroger store, senselessly attacking customers and employees.
According to WMC (Memphis), a Kroger customer, who has asked not to be identified, was walking into the store at about 9:15 p.m. when he saw the violent mob headed his way. At first, he thought it was a flash mob, and reached for his camera.
“As I was starting to get my camera open, a guy popped around a car and said ‘Hey bro’ and just started swinging at me. And I tried to put my hands up, another guy started rushing at me. I took off running backwards through the parking lot.”
Another victim, a teenager, was knocked to the ground while members of the violent mob threw pumpkins on his head, according to Daily Mail .
A witness suggested that the violent mob was engaging in the so-called “Knockout Game,” according to CBS .
“They were playing a game called ‘point them out, knock them out’ where they would point someone out and attempt to knock them out or fight them. There was no real reason behind it.”
The so-called “Knockout Game,” according to this Inquisitr report, is a prank where assailants walk up to and throw a punch at an unsuspecting victim simply for laughs. Its origins are unclear, but it started gaining media attention in late 2013. A few gruesome and terrifying news reports of knockout game victims have garnered media attention, and at least one victim died as a result of the “prank,” according to The Daily Caller .
Memphis police are not characterizing the violent mob attack as racially motivated, according to CBS . Police have not yet revealed any motive for the violent mob attack. Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton rather colorfully suggested that the teens simply were bored and had nothing better to do.
“We’re not going to accept this, ‘Well, they didn’t have anything to do so they went out and formed a mob.’ That dog will not hunt in Memphis, Tennessee.”
As of this post, there are conflicting reports as to how many people have been arrested. At least one adult – 19-year-old Raheem Richards, according to News Max – and 11 juveniles have been arrested in connection with the violent mob attack.
[Image courtesy of: Northwestern Flip Side ]
