Victim of disturbing sucker punch trend that can be deadly recounts her D.C. attack
VAN SUSTEREN: We have been telling you about the cruel and violent knockout game. The game? Well, young teens try to knock out a random victim with one brutal punch, sometimes even killing them.
Phoebe Connolly was biking in Washington, D.C., recently when she was hit with a single punch. Luckily, she survived.
Phoebe Connolly joins us.
Nice to see you, Phoebe.
PHOEBE CONNOLLY, RANDOM VICTIM IN KNOCK OUT GAME: Thanks.
VAN SUSTEREN: Tell me, Phoebe, take me back. It was last Friday night. Tell me what happened.
CONNOLLY: Friday night, I was biking home. It was just before 10:00. And I was making my way up 11th Street in Columbia Heights. And while I was biking up the hill, there was a group teenagers who were on bikes about 16 meters or so ahead of me. And they made it to the top of the hill, and at that point they stopped, and I continued biking my way up the hill. And when they stopped, about five of them pulled off to the side. I was biking in the bike lane and they were to the right-hand side of the bike lane. And there were two kids who were more in the center of the road. And as I made way my way up to the group of them, one of the boys who was in the group from the right-hand side, biked across my path, directly in front of me, and then turned his bike so that we would be passing each other as he was going down the hill. I said excuse me as I biked through the group, and when we passed each other, he reached out with his left hand and punched me in the face. I wasn't knocked off my bike. I continued biking as the group of teenagers continued laughing and I made my way home after that.
VAN SUSTEREN: Did the person who hit you say anything to you?
CONNOLLY: He did say "pow" as he punched me. But that was all that was said.
VAN SUSTEREN: Did you get a sense that the group that was laughing as you were getting hit, did they see -- were they definitely -- was he definitely part of this group?
CONNOLLY: They seemed like a group of kids that were all together, yeah.
VAN SUSTEREN: Was this random in the sense that you hadn't earlier had any confrontation? You hadn't run into them at all? This was totally random as far as you know?
CONNOLLY: I didn't know the kids. I had never seen the kids. I don't live in Columbia Heights. Actually, I was in town for business. So, it wasn't -- when I come to Washington, D.C., I stay in Columbia Heights, but I had -- I bike up that hill before, but, no, I had never seen any of the kids before that I know of.
VAN SUSTEREN: After you were struck, did they try to flee or did they just sort of hang out there as you left?
CONNOLLY: I didn't really pay attention to that. I just kept biking as I was. I didn't turn back. I didn't look. I didn't slow down. I didn't speed up. I just kind of continued on the course.
VAN SUSTEREN: Now, you didn't go to the hospital. Did you call the police right away, and, if not, why did you wait?
CONNOLLY: No, I did not go to the hospital. I had only a minor bloody nose a few minutes later. I called the police when I got to the house that I was staying at. Just a local police station. And reported what had happened. And they informed me that they would send a car to the area to check things out.
VAN SUSTEREN: You have heard of any other random acts of violence there?
CONNOLLY: When I told some people about what had happened, they told me to Google knockout game, which I did. And the second news article that came up was an article that had been released that day about a woman in Columbia Heights, 14th Street, who was walking at night and punched in the back of the head. It sounded similar to what had happened to me. And I read a second article the next day, which said that it was a group of teenagers. They were on bikes. They punched her and then laughed. And then once I read that article, I called the police back again just to make sure that everything had been passed on from what I said the night before. And I spoke with an officer at that time who said in order to create a paper trail the best way to do things would be to call 911, the emergency number. I was a little bit hesitant to do that because I was told 911 was for emergencies only. I didn't feel it was an emergency. It was the next day. I spoke with that officer and they did -- they told me to call 911, which I did, and they sent an officer to speak with me and I reported the incident. And they also followed up --
(CROSSTALK)
VAN SUSTEREN: Phoebe, thank you. The good news is you are OK. Thank you, Phoebe.
CONNOLLY: Yeah. I mean, I really -- I ultimately, I have moved past it and I really have no hard feelings about what has happened. I see it as another reason to support our youth with activities and youth programs, which is actually what I do for work. It's great to see teenagers do things when they are supported and empowered.
VAN SUSTEREN: I will tell you that laughing, though, is rather distressing. But I will take the last word on that because I have to go.
Phoebe, thank you very much.
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