CCSO warns of a TikTok trend to forcefully knock or kick the door of a home

CCSO

A trend from the social media platform TikTok has found its way to Charlotte County. In this trend, individuals forcefully knock or kick the door of a home. This typically occurs late at night or in the early morning hours and can result in damage to the door. The subjects then flee before the homeowner is able to investigate. The original concept of this challenge was similar to that of the old “Ding Dong, Ditch”, but it has since evolved into a more criminal nature.

The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office takes this very seriously. If caught, anyone participating in this trend will be arrested and charged accordingly. It is important to understand that this type of criminal act can result in a felony charge – which would remain on the individual’s criminal record and can have a negative impact on the rest of their lives.

This trend is also extremely dangerous. A homeowner may believe the participant is attempting to break into the home, leading them to take actions to defend themselves and their property. In short, there is nothing positive gained from this challenge.

Many social media trends encourage damage, risk, and danger. I implore parents to have meaningful conversations with their kids to make them think twice about what they may be seeing on social media – before it’s too late.

SHERIFF BILL PRUMMELL

Incidents such as this have already occurred in Charlotte County. Detectives have open investigations and are pursuing multiple leads in regard to these cases. If anyone has additional information that can help identify the responsible parties, to include the above depicted subjects, please call the non-emergency number at (941) 639-2101.