Hartford Teen in Trouble Over Knockout Game

A Hartford teenager is facing charges after police say he assaulted an elderly man in the middle of the street. The attack was caught on camera and while they are still investigating, they say it lines up with the so called knockout game. It happened a few weeks on Sigourney Street in Hartford. The victim, William Prude, 66 of Hartford, says he was waving to his neighbor when someone came up behind him. “All I know is it was just boom and I’m laying there in the middle of the street,” Prude said. He was sucker punched by a teenager right outside of his home and left in the middle of a busy road. He says someone stopped to ask if he wanted to go to the hospital, but he declined. By that point, the suspect was gone. “They’re very lucky,” Deputy Chief Brian Foley of the Hartford Police Department said. “It’s on Sigourney Street and you saw him fall into the roadway. This could have worked out much worse.” The video of the disturbing attack went viral at Hartford High School, where administrators helped police identify the 16 year old they say is responsible. Friends of the suspect tell NBC Connecticut it was a dare. “It was to get popular and make friends and stuff,” Juan Ruiz of Hartford said. “They made him do a bet to hit the old guy and the old guy was a random guy they just picked out.” It is a disturbing trend often referred to as the knock out game, where attackers sucker punch unsuspecting victims for no reason. While Prude does not understand why he was the target, he says he is thankful it wasn’t worse. The suspect is facing a number of charges including assault on an elderly person and disorderly conduct. He was referred to juvenile court.