ABSTRACT
Violence committed by strangers differs in many respects from that originating from acquaintances. The term “stranger assailant” refers to individuals who are total strangers to the victim. Stranger violence and crimes are those in which the assailant is completely unknown to the victim. Stranger violence also encompasses assailants who are known to their victims only by sight. Nonstranger violence are acts perpetrated by family members, intimates, friends, and acquaintances of the victim. Stranger violence is somewhat more likely to be interracial, involving a perpetrator and a victim of different races, than violence between relatives or acquaintances. Violence committed by strangers involves multiple assailants more often than violent acts by relatives or acquaintances. About one-third of stranger violence involves more than a single assailant. Fifty-four percent of robberies, 29 percent of assaults, and 16 percent of rapes involves more than one assailant.
