Multiple attacks on Jews in Brooklyn by teens playing a game called “knockout,” have finally led police to consider that they might just be part of ongoing, serial hate crimes.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told reporters that there have been at least seven attacks on Jews in Crown Heights recently, including two misdemeanor assaults.
Asked if there was a pattern, Kelly said “It is difficult to tell at this time,” and pointed out that the Hate Crimes Task Force was now investigating the possibility. “Obviously, some of it is based on descriptions. The crowds change in size, so it’s hard to tell if it is a clear pattern.”
The most recent attack took place around 9:30 PM Sunday, on Kingston Avenue near Crown Street. A 19-year-old Jewish man was crossing the street when he was punched in the face by a man in a group of about 10 black males, all in their late teens and early 20s.
“He was actually holding an expensive camera. And they punched him and nothing was stolen,” Rabbi Yaacov Behrman told CBS News.
In this video of that assault, posted by Crown Heights.info, the punches are at the :13, :41 and :48 second marks.
Another attack took place Nov. 6 when a group of some 15 teenagers approached a 12-year-old boy, punched him in the face, and shoved him onto the sidewalk.
“The two attackers ran back to the group screaming, ‘We got him’ and received a roaring cheer,” Rabbi Behrman told the Daily News. “They’re playing a game: ‘knockout.’ ‘Knock out the Jew,’ maybe. And they’re going around the neighborhood punching Jews.”
According to Gotham, The “knockout” game—teens punching strangers on the street—has been growing in popularity since last year. Adding the Jewish victims is a new phase, apparently.
Here are more samples, posted last month, of sucker punch attacks by Black youths on innocent people in NJ. Warning: the images are very disturbing.