Dangerous TikTok 'Door Kick Challenge' prompts alarm from southern Indiana police

North Vernon, In. (WDRB) — Some southern Indiana police departments are warning residents about a TikTok challenge that puts local homes at risk.

The trend involves juveniles approaching houses and trying to kick in doors while carrying airsoft guns, toy firearms that shoot small plastic BBs. If they get inside, they may fire at the home before fleeing. If the door holds, they may shoot at homeowners as they leave.

"They're basically battering them with airsoft pellets to a point where that's going to almost justify a course of action by the homeowner to defend their property and their family to where it's going to turn out to be an unfortunate circumstance of events," Jennings County Chief Deputy Cody Low said.

The Jennings County Sheriff's Office responded to a similar incident early Saturday, Oct. 4. Though the suspects ran away before deputies arrived, they identified three teenagers involved. Low said the Jennings County prosecutor is considering charges for those boys.

Officials in Jennings County are concerned the challenge could grow in popularity.

"This activity is extremely dangerous," the office said in a Facebook post. "Parents should talk to their children about the risks, and everyone should enjoy Fall Break safely.”

Police in Jeffersonville are also warning residents to watch out for this trend, and are urging parents to speak with their children about the dangers of participating.

"They may think it's all fun and a harmless prank," Low said. "But once you're trespassing on to a property or you're trying to kick in a door of a residence where there's people inside -- that elevates it to a whole new standard of severity, whether it's criminally charged, and that's going to follow them for a long time if that happens."

Low advises the homeowners to make sure their homes are as "secure as possible every night" and call 911 in the event of an emergency.

"Let us handle them being outside your residence," Low said. "People have to use common sense, both the suspects that are doing this and the homeowners."

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