TikTok 'door knock' challenge causes 'distress' to US city residents; police warn pranksters
The Friendswood Police Department has issued a warning against youngsters knocking or kicking at people's doors at nights and running away as part of a TikTok challenge
Alarmed over the menace the TikTok ‘Door Knock’ challenge has become in the neighbourhoods of Friendswood, a city in the US state of Texas, the local police have asked residents to quickly notify them if teenage pranksters bang on their doors at midnight.
Taking to Facebook, Friendswood Police Department (FPD) posted videos of two teenage boys knocking at the door at midnight and running away post-haste and said the TikTok ‘Door Knock’ challenge was causing ‘physical and emotional’ distress to the residents.
“The Friendswood Police Department is aware of the viral Door Knock challenge, which encourages individuals to bang or kick doors in the middle of the night in an effort to startle residents. This trend is causing both physical and emotional distress for residents of all ages. Over the past few weeks, FPD has received several reports of this type of activity,” the police said in the post.
The police also shared two videos of teenagers arriving in a car in the dead of the night and running up to the gate of a house. They are then seen kicking and banging the door before disappearing from the scene as quickly as they came. The video was apparently recorded by the CCTV camera installed at the gate by the house owners. The police are trying to identify the teenage pranksters.
“In the video footage that has been received from victims, it appears to be teenage males that are kicking and banging on doors. The department is in the process of identifying all of the individuals involved,” the Friendswood Police further wrote on Facebook.
The FPD has further asked the residents to notify them on their emergency number if they have been subjected to such midnight invasions. “If you have had an incident like this occur or if you are a neighbour and have video, please notify us by calling our non-emergency number at 281-996-3300 or through our Citizens Online Reporting System,” the police added.
The ‘game ding-dong ditch’ or knock-a-door run has been tweaked to turn into the ‘Door Knock’ challenge on TikTok, said media reports. The police have received many comments on its social media page, according to the report, some asking their parents to rein in the teenagers or else such pranks may have “consequences” for them.