DC ‘Knockout game’ claims new victims

A violent trend is giving new meaning to the term ‘hit and run.’

The “game” known as the ‘Knockout game’ involving sneak physical attacks on random people, has resurfaced with new victims in the District of Columbia.

Phoebe Connolly was bicycling through Columbia Heights when a teenager approached her and punched her in the face.

“He just like threw a hook with his left hand, and just got me right in the face…and he said ‘wa-pow’ as he hit me,” she said.

Connolly pedaled away with a bloody nose.

Another woman was punched in D.C. Thursday night.

According to Jeffrey Butts, from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, this trend is far from new.

Butts says, “I actually had a friend that was hit in D.C., more than 10 years ago, in a Metro station.  I think at that point not many people were using the term ‘Knockout game.’”

Butts also notes the difficulty in apprehending the assailants because the element of surprise allows them to escape quickly.