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In an unprovoked street attack in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, retired police officer Harvey Kraft was struck in the back of the head by a bunch of young strangers, authorities said on Wednesday, October 19, 2022.
Reportedly, Kraft claimed he was certain that his assailants were participating in the Cruel Knockout Game, which awards the "winner" for successfully knocking out a random person with a single punch.
Kraft said:
"I saw that they had their video cameras ready to record. They thought I guess it would be a jokey matter to put on YouTube or get some media publicity."
Harvey Kraft is reportedly a strong retired police officer who was not knocked by them
Based on multiple sources and police reports, around 1 pm, a group of suspects approached the retired police officer. Harvey Kraft, who was walking along a sidewalk near Brighton Beach Avenue on his way to the library, was pounced on with a serious sucker punch from behind.
Kraft, 66, told the sources:
“It was a hard shot. I just absorbed it. They were still standing there. Cameras on. They were prepared to see me go down.”
Reportedly, the resilient 66-year-old was not knocked to the ground by the blow. He revealed:
"They hit me in the temple. But I could tell it was full impact, roundhouse blow, because it felt like a brick. But as soon as I saw I wasn't knocked out, and I pursued them, they are all running for their lives.
He further added:
Not that I'm Superman. But I'm just glad it wasn't an individual or someone that would've been seriously hurt."
Later, Harvey Kraft tried to pursue the suspect, however, he lost him. It didn't seem like they were pursuing anything other than perhaps a status of perverted glory in the social media realm, according to Kraft's statement.
Kraft was attended to by an EMS team on the spot, but he opted not to travel to the hospital. He asked police to drop him off at a coffee shop so he could continue his errands after providing a statement at the precinct.
Kraft has a piece of advice, stating:
"I want to advise people that they have to be aware of their surroundings, and unfortunately, it's like you have to have two sets of eyes in front of your head and the back of your head."
Harvey Kraft stated that he has resided in Brooklyn since 1963 and had not been hit until the attack. In the 1990s, a drunk driver struck his patrol car and Kraft likened the effect of the blow to that incident. The blow on his head, according to him, was as strong as an airbag.
