Violent game stokes racial tensions in US

Point of the new craze is to knock out the unsuspecting victim with a single punch

Aviolent craze called the “knockout game” is spreading from New York to other American cities as gangs of teenagers and young men sucker- punch passers- by on the street for entertainment.

The brutal phenomenon is fuelling racial tensions as most assaults have reportedly been conducted by black attackers on white victims.

In online postings, some attackers have referred to their activity as “polar bear hunting”, a reference to the skin colour of their targets. The hate crimes unit of the New York police department is investigating seven of the eight “knock- outs” as possible bias attacks.

The incidents have been focused on Crown Heights, a Brooklyn district with large religious Jewish and black populations and a history of racial friction. The “knock- out game” is a more violent version of the “happy slapping” craze in Britain, although there is nothing gamelike or happy about either trend. The point of the “game” is to knock out the unsuspecting with a single punch. None of the victims have been robbed.

The attacks are often captured by the assailants on mobile phone cameras and posted online with gloating messages. Similar attacks have been reported in cities including Philadelphia, Chicago, St Louis and San Diego, apparently fuelled by the internet videos.

At least two victims have died from their injuries, a man aged 51 in Syracuse in upstate New York, and a 46- year- old man in Jersey City. In Philadelphia, Jim Addlespurger, a teacher, was walking home in broad daylight when a group of teens passed him and one hit him without warning.

“I was hit with one punch that knocked me to the cold concrete,” recalled Mr Addlespurger, who has since watched the attack on CCTV footage of the street. “It’s a horrific thing to see, and I’m fortunate that I’m alive.”

Some Jewish neighbourhood leaders have complained that city authorities are playing down the racial grounds of the attacks. Al Sharpton, the prominent African- American preacher and activist who has been at the centre of tensions between black and Jewish communities, condemned the “knockout” attacks.