Two 15-Year-Olds Arrested After Participating in 'Exceptionally Dangerous' TikTok Challenge
Two Florida teens were arrested last week after they admitted to kicking in the doors of random homes in their neighborhood as part of a disturbing social media trend, according to police.
The brazen actions occurred in the community of Spring Hill, about 40 miles north of Tampa, over a two-week period, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release posted on social media on June 13.
According to deputies, two 15-year-old boys went out into their neighborhood on several occasions and violently kicked the doors of homes.
Some of the kicks were so powerful the doors were flung open or otherwise badly damaged.
A doorbell camera clip of one of the acts was posted on Facebook by the sheriff’s office, leading to several tips from the public.
The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office said Thursday that thanks to those tips, it had the two boys in custody.
“Over the last two weeks, deputies in Spring Hill have taken four reports where during the early morning hours unknown individuals walked up to the front door of a residence and kicked the door causing damage,” the office said in a statement.
“In some cases, the impact from the kicks caused the door to fly open,” it said.
When confronted, arrested and detained by deputies, the boys admitted to being behind the tormenting of the community, according to the sheriff’s office.
Both said they never intended to enter into the homes and were taking part in a TikTok trend called the “Door Kick Challenge.”
The teens were charged with four counts each of burglary of a dwelling.
After a short stay in a juvenile dentition facility, they were released to the custody of their parents.
Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said in a statement that the arrests not only stopped the duo from terrorizing the community but could have saved their lives.
“This situation was exceptionally dangerous on several levels,” Nienhuis said.
“First, there was a very good possibility that these young men could have been shot and killed by a homeowner lawfully defending the household,” the sheriff said. “Second, if this occurred, the homeowner would have been burdened with the fact he or she killed two teenagers who were participating in a stupid activity.”
The “Door Kick Challenge” appears to have gotten popular on TikTok either at the end of last year or at the beginning of this year, but it first caught fire on the platform in 2021.
In January, doorbell videos of teens in the Houston area kicking doors in one neighborhood concerned residents who also expressed anxiety that the teens could have ended up hurt.
KRIV-TV reported the teens were caught and some of the damage they caused was extensive.
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