Police Arrest Suspect In Local “Knockout” Attacks

Back in November we reported that a 78-year-old Midwood woman was punched in the head on Avenue L and East 5th Street by a  teenager playing a “knockout” game. The police have arrested a suspect in connection with this and six other assaults in Brooklyn.

According to police reports in a CBS story, the 78-year-old Midwood woman was the first victim. Barry Baldwin is accused of attacking Jewish woman and the attack in Midwood occurred around the time of eight other attacks in Crown Heights. It is unclear which of these other attacks he is being charged with. Out of the seven assaults Baldwin is being charged for, six of them carry hate crime charges since the victims were Jewish women.

Here is more from our post back in November,

While the “game” has surfaced as a possible national trend, it’s taken an ugly racial aspect in Brooklyn. This victim’s case comes on the heels of eight similar attacks in Crown Heights. None of the victims were robbed as part of the attack.

The NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating, as all the victims are Orthodox Jewish.

On the same day the incident became public, Public Advocate-elect Letitia James, Councilman David Greenfield, and Councilman-elect Chaim Deutsch came forward offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in the eight previous attacks.