Detectives don’t know if the attacks are part of a nationwide phenomenon known as “the knockout game,” in which an assailant randomly assaults a stranger in an effort to knock him out in one punch. The “game” has captured headlines and generated warnings in recent months.
Denver police are investigating whether a string of New Year’s Day attacks downtown are linked and whether they are among the random beatings that nationwide have become known as “the knockout game.”
Three cases in LoDo around the same time — between 12:30 and 1:30 a.m. Jan. 1 — caught detectives’ attention.
In one, two people reported being assaulted by a group of men near 20th and Larimer streets. In another, a man said he was attacked at 16th and Blake streets. The third case was a beating at 20th and Market streets. Each attack involved as many as four suspects, department spokesman Sonny Jackson said.
One victim was seriously injured with a broken jaw. Some are struggling to remember details.
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