HOUSTON – A viral TikTok challenge is raising alarms among law enforcement after kids were caught on camera kicking strangers’ doors in the Heights neighborhood.
The “door kick” challenge, exactly what it sounds like, involves participants running up to a stranger’s home and kicking the door. What might seem like a harmless prank could quickly turn dangerous, authorities warn.
Video footage from Sunday, shows a young person pulling their hoodie tight and delivering a kick to a front door before running off with friends.
Homeowner Landon Coker said, “That door came open with some gusto. He didn’t kick it very hard, but he kicked it just right.”
Coker added, “I thought someone was trying to break in. From the couch to the door, I was like, here we go. Then I realized it was kids.”
This is the first reported case of the challenge for Harris County Precinct 1, but it’s part of a nationwide trend captured on video repeatedly.
After the initial shock, Coker said, “I hope something bad doesn’t happen to them because I was fifteen once, too.”
Constable Alan Rosen of Precinct 1 shares that concern.
“That’s the fear,” Rosen said. “If someone’s breaking into my home, I don’t know how I’d respond. The homeowner confronted the kids quickly, but if the kids had actually broken in and someone was ready, it could turn deadly.”
Rosen referenced a recent court case where a young boy was killed playing ding-dong-ditch, underscoring the potential consequences of such pranks.
Coker, who owns a gun, said he never thought to grab his weapon, but acknowledged, “Had I seen a step inside my front door or if one of them tried to come in, that’s a different scenario. I’m not asking questions about who’s kicking my door in.”
Constable Rosen warns that anyone caught participating in the dangerous “door kick” challenge could face criminal mischief charges.