Knockout game attacks are spreading throughout the western U.S.
Police in Los Gatos, California are looking for a man who attacked a mother outside a dance studio on Monday afternoon.
The woman had just dropped off her daughter for dance class and was walking out of the building when a man attacked her. He reportedly ran up, punched the woman in the face and waited to make sure she fell before running off.
Police are searching for an African American man in his 20s.
In Denver, Colorado, police now admit four people were hurt in three separate attacks on New Year’s Eve that appear to be Knockout Game attacks.
The witnesses say they were approached by strangers and punched in the face.
One of the victims, Nick Lloyd, had his jaw broken in multiple places by the strike and will need metal plates to reconstruct his face.
Police say the pattern of attacks makes it likely the attacks are related.
The Obama administration has filed a federal hate-crimes charge against a white man accused of targeting a black man for a “knockout game” attack.
The charge marks the first time the administration has taken action on a “knockout game” case after multiple reports of African Americans targeting whites and Jews.
“Suspected crimes of this nature will simply not be tolerated,” said Kenneth Magidson, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas. “Evidence of hate crimes will be vigorously investigated and prosecuted with the assistance of all our partners to the fullest extent of the law.”
Conrad Alvin Barrett, 27, reportedly attacked a 79-year-old black man in Fulshear, Texas. Justice Department officials said they brought the case because they wanted to make a point about hate crimes.
Barrett reportedly videotaped himself beating the black man and then showed it to people in a restaurant. One of the people was an off-duty peace officer. The victim suffered lost teeth and a broken jaw.
A Salvation Army toy outreach in Pittsburgh had to be shut down when the crowd grew so unruly police had to be dispatched to the scene.
People who had been waiting outside a Salvation Army on North Avenue forced their way into the building when the doors opened and there were not enough staff in the building to control the crowds. The problem appeared to be a group of people who refused to wait in line and tried to jump in front of everyone else.
Police forced everyone to leave.
The Salvation Army recruited more volunteers and was able to hold the toy drive the following day.
A Salvation Army spokeswoman told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that many people showed up before their designated pick up times which contributed to the overcrowding.
The latest arrests for Knockout Game attacks have surprising results.
A 14-year-old girl and three other children aged 10 and 11 were arrested for a series of assaults in October and November.
The victims include a youth the gang hit in the head with a rock and another who had a plastic bag held over their face to suffocate them.
“Kids are kids — when you’re talking 10 and 11 year olds getting involved in these type of things, sometimes they don’t realize the magnitude of what they’re doing,” NYPD Deputy Inspector George Fitzgibbon told reporters.
The police say that the attacks, despite only striking Jewish children, were not motivated by hate.
The youths were charged with assault, endangerment and criminal mischief.
A 20-year-old Long Island man is behind bars after police say he committed at least seven “knockout game” attacks dating back to April 2013.
Darryl Mitchell is expected to be charged today with the assaults of residents from Babylon, New York to Amityville, New York.
One of the victims, Darryl Jones, said that Mitchell came at him out of nowhere and landed a single roundhouse punch to the face. The blow caused a gash above his eye that required seven stitches.
“If I wasn’t strong enough, I probably would’ve passed out,” told WABC. “He was walking on the sidewalk and I moved out of the way just to step into the street and he stood in front of me holding up his hands and hit me in the face.”
The victims ranged in age from 17 to 69.
A sniper with the Lebanese army launched an unprovoked attack on an Israeli soldier. The soldier was driving along the border late Sunday night when he was shot by the sniper.
Two Lebanese soldiers were then killed early Monday morning by Israeli troops.
The shootings are causing concern that the area will see hostilities resume after a mostly peaceful season after a one-month war in 2006. Israeli officials said they do not want to see an escalation of the violence and they would take no actions to add to that atmosphere.
Lebanon’s National News Agency confirmed the killing of the Israeli soldier was by a member of their army but did not mention why the sniper chose to assassinate the Israeli.
United Nations officials have called on both sides to provide information for an investigation into the incident without delay.
A Pennsylvania teenager is behind bars charged with a brutal attack on a retired nun.
Andrew Bullock, 18, attacked the nun outside of St. Titus Church near Pittsburgh. He reportedly asked the nun if she needed help. When she declined, he grabbed her by the neck, choked her and punched her.
The nun is hospitalized with severe injuries including a broken jaw. She communicated information about the details of her attack by writing them down for police before she was taken into surgery.
“The Sisters of St. Joseph are deeply saddened and heartbroken by the assault of one of our Sisters,” a statement from the order said. “As we offer continued prayers of healing for our Sister, we also pray for the young man who has been arrested in the assault.”
Bullock is held on $50,000 bond for charges including aggravated assault. Bullock confessed to the attack during questioning by police.
Corrections officers at Rikers Island are being told to take extra precautions after reports that inmates have begin participating in the “Knockout Game”.
A female corrections officer told MyFoxNY that she is still reeling from wounds she suffered when attacked in a Knockout Game style attack on November 30th. She said the game is spreading within the prison walls.
“[An inmate]came right out of the bathroom and punched me in my eye,” she said.
She suffered a fractured eye socket and may need surgery for her blurry vision.
Correction officers union officials said that the game is being used by inmates to prove how tough they are to other inmates. The wounded officer said that she won’t be intimidated by the attack and looks forward to wearing her uniform again.
Civil rights leaders and music stars are joining together to try and put an end to the knockout game in New York.
Reverend Al Sharpton, hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and others have joined together for a series of social media announcements aimed at ending the violent game where a group of youths videotape a member of their gang striking a random stranger with the intent of knocking them out with one punch.
“The knockout game is not a game,” Rev. Sharpton said in a YouTube video. “It is vicious. It is ugly. It must be stopped.”
Sharpton then released a statement saying the game cannot be tolerated.
“These kids are targeting innocent people, and in many cases specifically targeting Jewish folks. We would not be silent if it were the other way around, and we will not be silent now. This behavior is racist, period. And we will not tolerate it,” he wrote.
Russell Simmons said in his video that those who participate in the game are cowards.
“How come you all want to hit people that look like they’ve got on devotional clothing and might not hit you back? Why don’t you hit somebody that might hit you back?” Simmons said in a video.
A newly elected New York Councilwoman wrote in an open letter that said many of her black constituents feel threatened by the growth of the Jewish community and that could be contributing to the increase in violence.
A Manhattan chef is unable to speak after three hours of surgery to wire his jaw shut after being attacked in Philadelphia.
The New York Daily News reports that 30-year-old Diego Moya is the latest victim of the “Knockout Game.”
Moya was returning to his hotel to pack for a return trip to New York when he was attacked. His nose was broken in multiple places and his jaw shattered. The attackers fled leaving him unconscious on the front steps at about 11 p.m.
“Ate dinner with friends and on my way back to hostel got pizza. As I walked down the alley I was hit from behind. Nothing was stolen from me which leads me to believe this was that ‘game.’ I hope I’m the last person this happens to,” Moya told the Daily News.
Police said that a group of six to eight men attacked him ranging in age from 16 to 21.
Moya will be unable to work for four weeks while his jaw is wired shut so the bones can heal.