Breaking down the ‘Door Kick Challenge’: A viral development with real-world dangers

A viral TikTok development, often called the “Door Kick Challenge” or “Door Knock Challenge,” is inflicting alarm amongst regulation enforcement companies nationwide.

Participants — sometimes youngsters — kick or aggressively bang on random residential doorways, usually at night time, then run away. Though paying homage to the standard “ding-dong ditch” prank, this problem has escalated to vital property harm and actual security considerations.

RELATED | Social media as an investigative software: OSINT methods for regulation enforcement

Why is regulation enforcement involved?

Authorities throughout the United States have highlighted the intense authorized and security dangers related to this viral problem in current months. Russell Klumpp of the Topeka Police Department in Kansas famous, “There’s a criminal element. More disturbing, however, and the reason for this safety message, is the dangers that are associated with conduct in these challenges. So, when you go to a random residence and you start kicking on the door, residents inside can easily mistake that for an attempted burglary, somebody trying to break into their home and cause them harm.”

Klumpp goes on to state that owners can reply to the specter of a perceived intruder in quite a lot of methods, together with capturing the perceived intruder.

Police departments, together with in South Fulton, Georgia, have issued robust warnings, emphasizing, “Not only is this illegal and classified as criminal trespassing or attempted burglary, but it also puts everyone involved at serious risk.”

Real-world penalties

Multiple incidents nationwide illustrate the problem’s risks. In DeBary, Florida, two teenagers had been charged with felony housebreaking after kicking open a home-owner’s door. Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood bluntly warned, “That’s a good way to end up dead, especially in Florida,” citing the state’s Castle Doctrine, which permits owners to make use of deadly power towards perceived intruders.

Additionally, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Florida reported juveniles kicking a door and firing an airsoft gun, considerably rising the danger of a harmful confrontation.

Nationwide incidents spotlight scope of concern

Outside of Florida, experiences from a number of states underscore how widespread and critical the problem has turn into:

• Bucks County, Pennsylvania: In Bucks County, incidents involving extreme door harm prompted investigations. The Fleetwood Police Department warned, “While ‘ding-dong ditch’ has been a hallmark for decades, today’s youth have taken things to a more serious level by kicking at doors and ultimately causing damage.”
• Lower Swatara Township, Pennsylvania: Police responded to a number of in a single day incidents involving juveniles making an attempt to kick in doorways, WHTM reported. Video captured teenagers putting a home-owner’s door earlier than working off. “It absolutely is a crime,” Chief Thomas Bell mentioned, noting potential expenses embrace felony housebreaking, prison mischief and disorderly conduct.
• Elk Grove, California: Police reported eight incidents within the final month tied to the problem, leading to 5 juvenile arrests, in response to CBS Sacramento. One house owner’s doorframe was broken so severely that repairs neared $900. “Somebody could come out with a gun … these kids could be dead just for a stupid prank,” resident Ronnie Monroe mentioned after his storage was kicked twice in two weeks.
• Frisco, Texas: Police arrested a 58-year-old man after he allegedly fired a number of rounds at a car fleeing a neighborhood following the door-kicking prank. According to the Frisco Police Department, teenagers had been “ding-dong ditching” and making an attempt to kick doorways when the suspect confronted them with a firearm and opened fireplace as they drove away. Officers later discovered three bullet holes within the victims’ car. “Parents, please talk to your kids about the dangers of participating in these types of TikTok challenges,” Chief David Shilson mentioned, including that the teenagers had been lucky they weren’t killed or significantly injured.
• Fort Worth, Texas: The Fort Worth Police Department put out a neighborhood warning after receiving greater than 20 experiences of the problem, stating, “It is imperative that individuals partaking in this trend understand that even if no burglary or theft occur, this behavior is illegal and considered vandalism and can lead to criminal charges. More critically, it can be mistaken as an attempted break-in, potentially prompting dangerous or defensive responses from homeowners.”
• Pierce County, Washington: In Pierce County, deputies renewed warnings after studying an 11-year-old within the Houston space was shot when a home-owner mistook the kicking for a break-in, KIRO Newsradio reported. Deputies mentioned the development has additionally brought about vital property harm regionally and urged mother and father to debate the risks with their youngsters.
• Van Buren Township, Michigan: Police in Van Buren Township responded to 2 separate incidents involving juveniles, leading to over $1,000 in harm. The concerned youths now face felony expenses for property destruction.
• Louisville, Kentucky: After a resident was awoken in the course of the night time, the Louisville Police Department issued a robust warning: “Anyone participating in this type of behavior is certainly risking their own life,” mentioned LMPD Spokesperson John Bradley. ”A resident may simply assume resorting to lethal power towards the individual is the following acceptable plan of action to guard themselves from what they imagine could also be an intruder. This sort of habits is silly and harmful.”
• Byesville, Ohio: Police in Byesville investigated a collection of door-kicking incidents, warning that such actions would possibly meet housebreaking standards in “stand-your-ground” jurisdictions, probably resulting in lethal confrontations.
• Manhattan Beach, California: The Manhattan Beach Police Department issued warnings after a bunch of youngsters kicked a resident’s door twice in a single early morning incident, urging mother and father to debate authorized penalties with their youngsters.
• Waukesha, Wisconsin: Similar incidents have occurred all through the state. In July, the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Office reported at the least 5 incidents tied to the problem. In a kind of incidents, a home-owner informed TMJ4 they grabbed their gun to confront the individuals.
• Las Vegas, Nevada: In Las Vegas, house owner Tyler Reggie informed KVVU that they’d $5,000 value of property harm after being focused by pranksters early within the morning.

Deadly incidents tied to door-banging pranks

While many current experiences contain the “Door Kick Challenge,” a number of lethal circumstances underscore how any door-banging prank — together with conventional “ding-dong ditch” — may be mistaken for an tried break-in, resulting in deadly outcomes.

Houston, Texas: An 11-year-old boy was shot and killed after he and his buddies banged on a door late at night time in a “ding-dong ditch” prank, in response to ABC News. Police say the suspect, 42-year-old Gonzalo Leon Jr., allegedly bumped into the road and fired a number of rounds as the youngsters fled. The boy collapsed a block away and later died at a hospital. Detectives mentioned the capturing doesn’t seem like self-defense. Leon has been charged with first-degree homicide.

Spotsylvania County, Virginia: In May, an 18-year-old highschool senior was shot and killed after he and two buddies had been recorded banging, kicking and slamming on doorways — together with a neighbor’s storage door — whereas making an attempt a TikTok “ding-dong ditch” problem, in response to FOX 5 DC. The capturing occurred round 3 a.m. after the teenagers approached the rear of a Fredericksburg-area house. The house owner informed the Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Office that he believed the group was making an attempt to interrupt in and opened fireplace, killing one teen and wounding one other. Deputies later confirmed the habits went past ringing a doorbell, with surveillance footage exhibiting forceful strikes on neighboring properties. The house owner, 27-year-old Tyler Butler, has been charged with second-degree homicide, malicious wounding and firearm offenses.

Corona, California: In 2020, three youngsters had been killed when a person deliberately rammed their car after they rang his doorbell and ran. The suspect, enraged by the prank, was convicted of homicide and sentenced to life in jail with out parole, in response to PEOPLE.

Where did the ‘Door Kick Challenge’ originate?

While the problem is presently gaining traction once more on social media, it first gained consideration in 2021. The same development, generally known as the “heartbeat challenge,” emerged amongst faculty college students and concerned kicking or pounding on doorways to the beat of Kesha’s 2012 music “Die Young.”

The development first began in faculty dorms with movies from that point exhibiting individuals forcefully putting dorm or house doorways in sync with the music’s drumbeat — generally kicking them onerous sufficient to open the door fully. Though that model of the problem light, the habits has reemerged in neighborhoods throughout the nation, now usually with out the musical ingredient.

How mother and father may help

Authorities urge mother and father to proactively deal with these dangerous tendencies with their youngsters. Open dialogues in regards to the penalties of on-line tendencies may help stop tragic outcomes.

With the “Door Kick Challenge” gaining momentum once more, regulation enforcement leaders hope heightened consciousness and lively parental engagement will curb harmful behaviors earlier than they result in additional tragedies.

What steps is your company taking to deal with or stop dangerous social media tendencies just like the ‘Door Kick Challenge’?

Police1 readers reply

• We had some door-kicking in our neighborhood. It stopped now, but it surely didn’t occur at night time, and the youngsters caught within the video gave the impression to be youthful than youngsters. In one occasion, the house owner did have a doorbell digital camera. He circulated the video to neighbors and one individual acknowledged the children from the varsity throughout the road. The police did contact the principal and house owner was informed he would obtain an apology letter from the children, however that by no means occurred. We reported the shortage of response to the police. Luckily, there hasn’t been an incident for fairly some time.
• If any social media web site is selling this exercise, they’re breaking the regulation. The First Amendment doesn’t defend anybody urging individuals to commit crimes. If this had been to seem on TikTok, Facebook or some other social media web site, their attorneys must be contacted and suggested that civil or prison expenses may very well be levied towards them. Many of those social media fashionable challenges have brought about hurt to individuals previously, but no person does something in regards to the people who find themselves placing it out over the airwaves and selling it. Social media, if not held to be accountable, has confirmed that it is going to be irresponsible.
• I’m an officer, and if my door will get kicked in, the perpetrators are prone to get bit or worse from my K9 companion. Kids simply don’t consider doable penalties.
• Sadly the youth of right now aren’t the youth of yesterday. Social media has lastly killed off what little was left of widespread sense and customary courtesy. TikTok has a corrosive impact on civil habits. These “challenge” tendencies are exhausting to the wise at the least and outright harmful or lethal to the perpetrators. If having enjoyable requires being silly, success I assume.

This article, initially printed on Aug. 7, has been up to date to mirror newer situations of the “Door Kick Challenge.”