Kids have been knocking on doors or ringing doorbells and running away since at least the 1800s, but the “ding dong ditch” prank has been picking up steam in recent months thanks to TikTok; which is also home to the similar, but even more dangerous prank known as the “door kick challenge.”
That “prank” involves actually kicking in the front doors of people’s homes, and could easily end up with pranksters getting shot because the homeowner legitimately believes that they’ve become the victim of a home invasion. “Ding dong ditch,” on the other hand, typically involves just ringing the bell (or knocking) and running away before anyone inside the home can open the door.
In the day and age of doorbell cameras, though, someone who spots a group of strangers outside their front door may very well believe they’re about to become the victim of a home invasion. That’s what one Florida man is claiming after he allegedly pulled a gun on a teen who says he was involved in a harmless, if annoying, prank.
The incident occurred at around 8 p.m. on Oct. 16, when homeowner Santiago Cairo, 40, noticed a group of people at the front door of his Boca Raton house and believed they were attempting to break in, according to WPTV.
Cairo reportedly called 911 before arming himself with a gun and confronting a 14-year-old outside his home.
According to arrest records obtained by WPTV, Cairo told authorities he did not aim his gun at the teenager, and instead kept it at a “low ready position” as he waited for authorities to arrive.
The teen, however, alleges that Cairo actually pointed his handgun at him, ordered him to get on his knees, and even grabbed his shoulder to try to push him to the ground.
Cairo also allegedly told police that he “went too far,” though his attorney maintains that he never pointed his gun at anyone or laid hands on them. Cairo was arrested on charges of aggravated assault with a firearm, but has since been freed on a $10,000 bond.
While the homeowner is facing a pretty serious criminal charge, he’s found support from at least one neighbor.
… Mary Elizabeth Hall, reportedly expressed her support for Cairo while adding that she felt disappointed how the events unfolded.
“I witnessed the mother drive away with her children in the back,” Hall told WPTV. “While my neighbor, Santiago, was sitting handcuffed in the back of the car.”
Hall added that their South Florida neighborhood has seen an influx in car break-ins, while defending her neighbor’s actions.
“I question if it was a prank, or if they were trying to steal something,” Hall said, according to WPTV. “My neighbor did the right thing, and the outcome was not the right thing.”
I’m curious to see how Cairo’s case plays out. The fact that he called 911 to report his concerns about a potential burglary could work in his favor, and if Hall is right that their neighborhood has had ongoing problems with vehicle burglaries, Cairo might be able to persuade a jury that he had a reasonable belief that he was stopping a crime when he confronted the teen outside his home. If there is video evidence backing up his claim of keeping his gun at low ready instead of pointing it at the teen, that will also work in his favor.
If, on the other hand, there’s any sort of video evidence backing up the teen’s account of how things played out, Cairo has to try to justify his actions, and that could be difficult.
Ding dong ditch was a pretty stupid idea when I was a kid, but it’s even more so today. Still, I don’t think that prank, as obnoxious as it is, should result in a a reasonable fear of death or great bodily injury. Using a firearm to detain the prankster, even if the trigger isn’t pulled, may very well be seen by police and prosecutors as a disproportionate and unjustified of force resulting in criminal charges and possibly even a felony conviction that results in prison time and losing the right to keep and bear arms going forward.
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