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.
OS:
It’s not just .357 and .44 magnum rounds that pose the “shoot-through-the-target” problem; any full metal jacket slug has a significant possibility. of over-penetration Assuming that the defensive shooter was using FMJ rounds, that was, in my opinion, a poor choice. There are plenty of hollow point rounds in .40 S&W. Except for military use, where FMJ rounds are required, and very precise high level target shooting where they may provide a slight, but significant, improvement in accuracy, FMJ bullets are not the best choice of round. Pretty much every self-defense and/or concealed-carry instructor I know counsels against FMJ for self-defense, noting that one is still legally responsible for what is behind one’s target.
Choice of platform is very much a matter of personal preference. I carried a 1911 while in the service, but I never much cared for it. I’m old-fashioned, so it’s a .38 special S&W K-frame with SJHP for me. I had a .357 once; it wasn’t that much fun to shoot and retaining sight picture was more difficult than with the .38. My son-in-law carries a Glock .40 S&W with SJHP on duty, but his off-duty piece is a much smaller Bersa in .380 SJHP. It’s comfortable to shoot, comfortable to carry, and the ammunition performs reasonably well ballistically. My daughter finds it comfortable as well. That brings me to what I think is the most important point, the caliber you choose is far less important than the accuracy of your shooting. There’s a reason that people continue to make pistols in, for example, .32 ACP — at most common self-defense ranges, an accurate shot will do significant damage. There’s even a market for .22 magnum self-defense pistols.
OS,
Coincidentally, my concealed carry preference is my full size 1911 with hollowpoints. I’d agree that this particular guy is lucky. Most folks use HP’s or self-defense rounds that would have blown a hole the size of a fist through his back, instead of putting a clean hole through.
I cannot fathom why anyone would consider this an acceptable activity at all… It’s just so far from reality that it’s hard to believe that it happens. Perhaps if more of them were incarcerated for it, or shot by people defending themselves, it’d stop. Hooligans (not the footbal variety) running around targeting “random people” for potential murder (since they might die from injury) is a scary thought.
-AAO
Why did he quit at two rounds? Did the punks friends get out of range too quickly?
I’d have certainly shot all but one round as fast as I could.
Robin, I have just been aware of the most recent fad, which as I stated, has been young b/m’s playing knockout. I was heartened watching a local NYC TV station playing a plea from elders in the black community from Brooklyn. In Crown Heights, young black males have been specifically targeting Jews, an area w/ a large Jewish population.
My God, Robin, the history of white on black, Hispanic, Asian crime is long and very sordid. That said, these aforementioned black, Brooklyn, elders were calling it what it is. In their case, specifically, attacks by black males on Jews. One of the men, a minister, spoke about the history of support for black causes by Jews, something I’m quite certain these thugs know nothing about, but probably wouldn’t care even if they did. My ONLY hope is to point out what it is. “Calling something by its correct name is a sign of wisdom.”
Robin I spent my entire adult career digging for facts, the truth. I understand on a profound level that truth is evasive and often ugly. But, even though it is ugly @ first glance, there is an inherent beauty. “Truth is beauty, beauty truth.”
Your point about it being young men is a good one. Young men 16-24, of all race and ethnicity are responsible for the majority of violent crime. I think we’re on the same page here, but if not, please let me know. I respect your opinion a lot.
NICK but many blacks have been hurt in the knock out game also. i’ll have to dig around since i cleaned out my history but i’ve read a few stories of white teens also playing the game.. lets not forget the big story that happened a few years back on long island with the white kids along with 1 hispanic guy who played a game called beaner jumping. where a group of white kids got together and went out looking for mexicans to knock out. unfortunately they hit one mexican guy to many and he decided to fight back i think his name was marcelo lucero or vice versa he fought back and the white kid stabbed him. the man eventually died due to ems , and cops neglience that story was huge in the news outlets.
its not a black or white fad. its a moron fad teens with nothing to do looking for fun or their idea of fun anyway… maybe if they still had youth programs a lot of this mess wouldnt happen.. but hey why do teens need youth programs when the elites need more specialized military weapons for the enslavement of the people.
The good news is people are tired of this game which is nothing new its just blowing up in the news again because people are getting seriously hurt or dying. i said from the beginning when this first began to blow up in the news all over again that the same thing that happened before will happen again. these punks will run up on someone who is going to fight back and they are going to end up being the ones knocked out. or worse.. should we feel sorry for them? HELL NO!!! at least i know i don’t.
Do i think 1 year is enough? hell no. the charges should be in the felony column because only then will and end be put to this sickening game. i also believe that if the punks get arrested and the DA finds that they have videos posted of them beating up on others they should face charges for those also. whether they can find the people who were knocked out or not the punks should be charged for every video their ugly mugs are in bragging about or participating in this sick mess..
Jerome,
Michigan is too busy putting parents in jail because kids are truant….. But then again, why are kids truant….
The courts are too busy putting those with pot possesion, dealing, too worry about violent sociopath.
Having a big pistol is a macho thing, but in a situation like that OC spray is a better choice. Shoot somebody with a .357 or .44 magnum and you risk shooting clear through them and killing an innocent bystander on the other side. That is why most people who understand firearms prefer the .45 ACP for self defense instead of hand cannons like the .44 magnum. On the other hand, OC spray is more like what they say about horseshoes and hand grenades; close is good enough. With a firearm you actually have to hit the bad guy.
BTW, OC is not mace. CS spray is 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile. CS is for riot control. Spray CS and it is just as likely to disable the person doing the spraying as the bad guy.
http://dcclothesline.com/2013/11/21/think-knock-fun-game-kid-got-shot-someone-disagreed/
Do go messing around REO…. Street….. They will just kinda shoot ya…. Which is not a nice part of town….
“The most powerful hand gun in the world, and will blow your head clean off..”
Gene,
You are right. Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry (1971) did promote the .44 not the .357
RWL,
I think you meant to say .44 Magnum. 😀
I meant to say the .357 magnum.
OS said: “I rather have…..OC spray, than a firearm.”
Really? You wouldn’t take Clint Eastwoods’.357? 🙂
As I look @ the photo of this punk there may be reason to charge him w/ a Federal firearm offense of having a sawed off shotgun. jimnjoy, I’ve seen about 6 or 7 of these knockout videos and all the assailants are black. If I’ve learned anything in this PC culture, you can be called a racist indiscriminately here and elsewhere. But in a non PC world, pointing out a fact is not racist. I was called a racist here for absolutely no reason, you may be so honored also.
I am noticing that this punk is black. Does that make me a racist? Am I now one of those who Oprah says should just die? I think not.
Surreal. That is the only word that comes to mind; it reminds me, somewhat horrifically, of the plot of one of my favorite novelist’s last books: “Ben in the World” by Doris Lessing. Gangs of teens ran loose, terrorizing and assaulting ‘adults’…in a very similar and often pointless fashion.
What, I wonder, is the social pressure that leads to this kind of hooliganism.. Is there some deep flaw in modern America? Why the growth?
If you listen to J.F.K.’s speeches maybe the democrats think they solved a problem through L.J. Oswald?