The rules to the Knockout Game are simple.  Basically you pick a victim at random and see if you can knock them to the ground in just one punch.  Often the victims of the Knockout Game are unwittingly attacked without warning or from behind, and ‘players’ are often successful at knocking them to the ground. The game has been making an unfortunate comeback in Washington D.C.

Last weekend a woman was attacked while she rode a bike in Columbia Heights.  She suffered a bloody nose, but was able to ride away safely and never lost consciousness.  Another 27-year-old woman told ABC7 that she had been attacked while she was on foot and a group of teens on bikes, hitting her on the back of her head—she was also not knocked out.

The knockout game is nothing new – it has been a popular past time for disaffected youths and the bane of anybody who wants to walk safely around their neighborhood in my hometown of Saint Louis for as long as I can remember.  Incidents will flair up, especially near high schools as classes let out, until police figure out who is responsible.  Incidents of the game then tend to subside for a while until a new cohort picks the game up.  Sometimes accidents happen though, and the knockout game turns deadly.

At any rate, as scary as this stuff is, you shouldn’t let a couple of punks keep you from enjoying the city.  Chances are you’re much more likely to get a good bump on the head from a car accident on your way into the city than you ever would be from some little bastard using you as a punching bag.

Image via gadailynews.com