‘Stupid and dangerous’: Police warn of ‘door kick’ social media challenge

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE/Gray News) - Police are warning families about a troubling social media challenge.

The trend, called the “door kick challenge,” has been reported across the country.

Groups go up to doors in the middle of the night, violently kicking the door and then taking off.

A Louisville woman sent WAVE a video from a Ring camera. The footage, captured on Saturday around 2:30 a.m., shows teenagers with their faces covered approaching the front and side doors of the home. The homeowner caught the teenagers outside another neighbor’s home a few minutes later, screaming at them to go away.

The Louisville Metro Police Department said the challenge is a crime and anyone caught doing it could be arrested and charged.

“Anyone participating in this type of behavior is certainly risking their own life,” LMPD Spokesperson John Bradley said. ”A resident could easily assume resorting to deadly force against the person is the next appropriate course of action to protect themselves from what they believe may be an intruder. This type of behavior is stupid and dangerous.”

Some states, including Kentucky, have arrested and charged groups for doing the challenge.