LJB’s concern with security issues goes beyond the private security industry and includes state- and nation-wide crime trends, safety, weapons and more.

Our latest security-related article has to do with the nationwide emergence of the “knockout game,” where gangs of teens allegedly roam cities and attack random people.

“Wilding,” i.e. attacks on passersby committed by groups of teens where the motive is thrill-seeking as opposed to robbery or retaliation, have come and gone in waves for decades. The latest spate of well-publicized attacks offer a small twist on the usual haphazard assaults – media reports allege that their objective is a competition of sorts among the perpetrators, and the one who manages to knock out a victim with one punch is declared “knockout king.”

There are some doubts whether all reported attacks are, in fact, related to the “knockout game;” however, New Haven has seen enough similar incidents over the years, as well as a significant wave of incidents in mid- to late 2013, that police (and most residents) appear convinced that at least one group of local teens are indeed having such an antisocial competition amongst themselves.

Our article discusses several New Haven “wilding” incidents in a broader context, and devotes some time to reports of “knockout game” assaults nationwide. Click through to read the article in its entirety!