Across the country, including here in Washington, teenagers are playing a dangerous game called “Knock-em-out” where a person is selected at random and a teenager tries to knock him or her out with one punch (often from behind). As the video shows, victims often hit their heads on the pavement and risk serious injury. One teenager, Marvell Weaver, in Lansing Michigan however picked the wrong guy. On this twitter, Weaver is shown holding a shotgun and saying he would “blow your mouth back.”
The game also called “pickem out, knockem out” or just “knockout” appears a modern manifestation of a Clockwork Orange mentality.
Weaver has played the game before and selected his new victim in a man waiting to pick up his six-year-old daughter from school. Weaver wanted to use a taser on the man to knock him out. He and his friends circled a couple of times and then Weaver jumped out and shoved something into his side. The man pulled a out a .40 caliber pistol and shot Weaver twice — once in the leg and once an inch away from his spine.
What is interesting is that there is no report of his friends being arrested, which would mean that Weaver did not give their names or prosecutors did not see the need to charge them for their crimes. It is equally important to punish the people in these groups if police are going to deter this game. Who was driving the van? Why would Weaver get a light sentence if he did not identify the other people in the van?
I am also surprised with the sentence — just one year for trying to knock out a stranger with a taser for fun. He was shot and that is obviously a serious repercussion for Weaver but the man could have been seriously injured from this random and despicable assault. Moreover, he has admitted that he and his friends have done this to a number of different people. This “game” seems to be to constitute a clear self-identification of depraved and dangerous individual without any sense of humanity. To play this game shows an obvious detachment from basic values governing civilized society. That makes them dangerous.
Weaver has admitted that he got a light sentence but says “it was just a lesson learned. I wish I hadn’t played the game at all.” I am less than impressed. Most human beings do not need to get shot to regret attacking people at random. This epiphany never came with the scene of people knocked unconscious on the street while Weaver and his friends laughed.
Do you feel one year in jail is sufficient punishment for these individuals?
You can see how teenagers play this “game” here and then laughed as people fall unconscious on the street.
The punks would not try this on anyone who they knew had a gun. The gun guy might get up and shoot the punk in the back as he runs off. So, all people need to carry guns in towns where this is going on. And shoot when they hit you and shoot if you can when they are in the act of so doing. When they are wounded and on the ground, shoot them in the hands as well. Then leave them if no one else is around and make your way home. The only good punk is a dead punk.
Another reason for gun control, get on the band wagon PREVENT SELF DEFENSE
I could not find a cite, but my guess is the intended victim was using full metal jacket bullets. The good part about those rounds, is the relatively small amount of tissue damage they cause, because getting hit with one is more like being stabbed with a very large large icepick. On the other hand, had the intended victim been carrying a Model 1911 .45 ACP, the damage would have been severe, The big heavy subsonic .45 round is formidable. Since it is a slow moving bullet that deforms on impact, it’s not likely to go through the the first bad guy and hit an innocent bystander behind him.
My personal choice of self defense weapons is OC spray. Police grade, not what you buy over-the-counter. It is illegal for civilians in some states, no matter the strength. OC stands for oleoresin capsicum the organic chemical that makes peppers hot. Perceived hotness is measured in Scoville Units. A fresh Jalapeño pepper has about 3,500 to 8,000 Scoville Units. A good chili pepper like Cayenne is up to 50,000 units hot. The terrifying Ghost Pepper (Bhot Jolokia) has up to 1.4 million Scoville Units of heat.
Over-the-counter pepper spray like you get for your key ring is about two million Scoville Units. On the other hand, the full strength spray sold at law enforcement supply stores is 5,300,000 Scoville Units hot. Most stores won’t sell you the stuff unless you can show identification and a certification card that you have been through the training.
I am here to tell you it will get your full undivided attention. Last time I was exposed to it was at a training class earlier this year. I thought I was far enough away, but didn’t remember Rule #1, which is to pay attention to which way the breeze is blowing. Let’s just say that even at fifteen yards, it cleared my sinuses.
I had much rather use combat grade OC spray for self defense than a firearm.
Bullies very where should take note that there are consequences to their actions and sometimes far worse than what they imagine. One year isn’t enough. We have been seeing the harm bullies do to innocent people. Young people committing suicide. Parents and elders and others minding their own business falling victim to the worst dredges of humanity. Preying on the innocent for merely sociopathic meanness needs to be punished.
why sure it was fare. After all, we need more space in prison for truly dangerous like people smoking Pot. NOT
We really have a warped sense of justice when we send people to prison for smoking pot and then with someone who is truly dangerous like fool, we slap their wrist.
Sad
Virtually all of the victims I’ve seen are white in these despicable assaults. A guy I know in Brooklyn says Jews are victims in 2 of these assaults. In NYC and Chicago being armed w/ a firearm to defend yourself is simply not an option. However, popping a few more of the punks and publicizing that should end this quickly. Cops can’t help you on this, citizens must be wary and prepared. “The Lord helps them who help themselves.”
That bullet should have been one more inch over. A wheelchair and colostomy bag would ensure this thug never plays his game again.
I think its easy to blame this is stupid teenagers, but most of these kids will just grow up to be trash and a drain on society. I’m pretty liberal, but I wouldn’t of cared if the guy was a better shot and got him in the head. Societies need to get rid of the violent undercurrents and antisocial behavior (even if the irony is through the use of violence).
I can’t wait until the first stand your ground incident because of this latest fad.
The “bully religion” (George Orwell) at work at the local level.
This “game” is not a game. There have been fatalities. It will run its course, like all idiotic fads, but people are being hurt and killed. Seems that it has become a YouTube phenomenon for bragging rights. YouTube and other online video channels really need to do more to monitor and block this stuff from spreading. That would take away some of the bragging.
Also, like the one in this story, some of these thugs are inevitably going to pick the wrong victim.
These ‘teenagers’ are simply brutal, cowardly and inhuman in their actions. They are dangerous and should be taken very seriously. This isn’t just a game, these are despicable acts of group violence. They like to instill fear and pain on their victims and that should be the punishment they face when found to have committed the act. If the punishment does not fit the crime, then this will continue to be a potentially deadly and very real, physically harming ‘game’. One year in jail or juvi, should be minimum for any of these animals involved in these disturbing crimes of cowardice. I hate guns, but it’s this kind of random violence, ignorance and hate that make me consider getting a gun permit…
This is a magnified computer or the blind.
Please Jonathan, do not send anymore
messages.
Thanks!
The Rev.
One year is not sufficient. A fall to the ground could cause injury leading to death. The use of a tazer could also be lethal. This is a violent crime and one year is not enogh.
Ironically, MI has made it illegal to buy or own non-lethal self defense weapons such as mace or stun guns-unsure how they can dictate that a citizen cannot defend themselves without government permission.
doglover
Your ignorant feelings driven rant is so far off the mark it rivals my saying if brains were dynamite you wouldn’t be able to blow your nose. Get all the facts, and if you can’t speak the truth I would suggest you shut up!
This is very similar to the thrill so many people get from killing nature’s beautiful animals. It is “hunting” (killing) season and the men are happy. They spend their entire year thinking about and preparing for the thrill of killing as many beautiful animals as they can. They often give the “meat” away because they don’t like the taste.
Lucky the target was not a plain clothes policeman, the idiot would have copped not just 2 slugs but 16.
Actually, I tend to think one year is sufficient for a knock out. The real problem, in my opinion, is the feeling of impunity – the conviction that there will not be any repercussion. If every idiot trying this out got arrested right away, I doubt it would become a trend.
Reblogged this on Brittius.com.