‘Knockout Game’ Goes Back to At Least 2008

The infamous “knockout game” goes back to at least 2008.

Boone County assistant prosecutor Richard Hicks told the Riverfront Times that he prosecuted three young men for second-degree robbery in 2009.

“At least one of the boys admitted that they were playing a game called ‘The Knockout King,’” Hicks said, referring to another description of the “game.”

The Riverfront Times extensively documented the spate of attacks, and won an award for Feature/Single Story from the National Association of Black Journalists.

Jason, a teen who spoke with the Times on condition of anonymity, discussed the game.

“It was just a little game,” says Jason. “We used to walk to where a lot of people be at and hit ‘em. If one of the homeboys didn’t knock him out, then the other would come. Whoever knock him out would be king.”

“Everybody plays,” said eighteen-year-old Brandon Demond, a former participant who provided only his first and middle names for publication.

“It’s a game for groups of teens to see who can hit a person the hardest,” explains Brandon, who’s standing with a group of friends on Grand Boulevard as a police officer listens nearby. “It’s a bunch of stupid-ass little dudes in a group, like we are now. See this dude walkin' up behind me?” — Brandon gestures to a longhaired man walking toward him on the sidewalk — “we could just knock him out right now.”

Don Pizzo, a retired Sgt., told KMOX that he recalls three or four reports of the “knock out kinds” going back to 2008.

 “Normally it was a group of black males, one of which would strike him as hard as he could in the face, attempting to knock him out with one punch,”

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce said on December 1, 2011 that she had recently talked to a teenager who was arrested on a gun charge.

The teen said that he was a “Knock Out Kings” participant and that he had “knocked out” over 300 people.

When the teen was asked why he did this, he said “to get respect.”

“I’m not using this young man’s name because I don’t want to provide him with the notoriety he seeks. Also, I believe his claim of 300 victims is without a doubt inflated. However, I do believe that young people engaged in this activity are doing it as a way to gain respect and importance,” Joyce said.

“I’m not a social worker, I’m a prosecutor. And, as such, I will continue to aggressively pursue those who commit violent crimes in this City. At the same time, I’m urging everyone in our community to think about how they can reach out to our young men and women, before they slide so very far down the scale.”

St. Louis Police Chief Dan Isom told the Associated Press in December 2011 that there had been 10 “knockout game” attacks over the past 15 months.

“These individuals have absolutely no respect for human life,” St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said.

Additionally, it was reported by the Jersey Journal in January 2011 that a group was suspected of a “knockout game” attack.

“The purpose of the game is to hit people and knock them out,” the police report on the incident said, quoting one of those arrested.

MORE: 

Demetrius Murphy, Killed During Attempted Burglary, Participated in ‘Knockout Game’

Knockout Game: Did 60-year-old Woman Beulah Montgomery Kill 2 Teens After Getting Punched?

NYC: Marajh Amrit Charged With Hate Crime in Brooklyn ‘Knockout Game’