Reports: Alleged trend of 'knockout game' a myth

Melanie Eversley | USA TODAY

Some news organizations are refuting the existence of an alleged phenomenon known as the "knockout game" that has been the subject of media warnings in recent weeks.

According to reports by CNN, the Today show, USA TODAY and others, the game takes place when young people randomly assault strangers in an attempt to knock them out with one punch.

The attacks are leading to arrests, more officers on the streets and warnings for vigilance among the public, law enforcement officials and victims advocates told USA TODAY. In New Haven, Conn., police spokesman David Hartman said police are investigating six incidents in the past month as possible "knockouts."

But police officials in several cities where the attacks have been reported say the knockout game is an urban myth, and that attacks that have received recent attention in the media have been random assaults, the New York Times is reporting.

"We're trying to determine whether or not this is a real phenomenon," the news organization quotes New York police commissioner Raymond Kelly as saying. "I mean, yes, something like this can happen. But we would like to have people come forward and give us any information they have."

A column on Slate.com reports that while the game does exist, there is no hard data to support the notion that it is a growing trend that has reached epidemic levels. It also refutes the suggestion by some news organizations that some of the attacks have been racially motivated.

The Slate piece makes reference to another piece on the patheos.com website that says, "Nobody seems to have any evidence that it's spreading, or that it's new, or that it's racially motivated."

The piece continues, "Most sources claim that it is spreading, and a number of sources claim that it is racially motivated. But how do they know? Where are they getting their data from?"

In New York, reports appear to have blossomed in recent weeks. Two weeks ago, a 78-year-old woman reported she was punched in the head, the Times reports.

The Jewish community has been fearful too. One Hasidic teen said he was approached by eight men and punched in the face by one of them, Democratic New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind told the Times. According to the news organization, the city is panicked.

"It's sick, it's scary," Hikind is quoted as saying.

The Daily Beast reports that assaults with "hands and fists" in America rose .7% from 2011 to 2012, according to the FBI.

"The 'knockout game' may or may not be a new phenomenon, but with a few instances out of tens of thousands of assaults, it's not a trend, and media outlets shouldn't treat it as one," the news organization reports.