A Waterbury man was attacked by a group of teens in the middle of the day, and neighbors think he could be a victim of the knockout game.
The problems started at Columbia Boulevard and Cables Avenue in Waterbury just after noon on Sunday.
Police said a 67 year old man walked by a group of teens, when he suddenly got punched in the face by at least one of them.
“It’s really disgusting,” said Patricia Kirschner.
She was worried because she lives just down the way from where this happened, and always takes walks where the victim was targeted.
“This poor man was going out like I’m going out…it could happen to me,” Kirschner added.
Leaders of this historic Overlook Neighborhood say the attack might have been the so called knockout game that has gained popularity across the country. It’s where teenagers knock out innocent people walking by them with a single punch, and it was all just for fun.
Police said it was difficult to figure out if the weekend incident was in fact the knockout game, but say the attack came out of nowhere and nothing provoked it. “It’s something we take very seriously and he was attacked for no apparent reason,” said Deputy Chief Chris Corbett.
Investigators needed to find whoever did this before anyone else got attacked. “We do have some good leads in the case and we hope to make an arrest very soon,” Corbett explained.
Neighbors said they planned to be on high alert until the culprits behind the crime were caught. “It’s terrifying you have to constantly be looking,” said Patricia Kirschner.
