California police chief warns of dangers of ding dong ditching
Marie Moyer
CALIFORNIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
California, Missouri’s police chief is warning homeowners of a recent wave of pranksters jumping on the decades-old tradition of “ding dong ditching.”
Chief Scott John noticed an uptick in the prank in July when people began posting themselves ringing doorbells and knocking or kicking doors and running away on TikTok. The department later put out a Facebook post bringing awareness to the trend.
“In today’s world, it’s not the innocent childhood prank that it was 20, 30 years ago, people are more nervous, they’re more timid about the knocks and bangs in the middle of the night,” John said. “In my experience, I’ve actually seen where some people have used deadly force in situations it shouldn’t be used and I was concerned that an accident may happen.”
Since July, John reports that complaints of ding dong ditching decreased but picked back up recently around the start of the school year.
This increase comes after this past weekend, when 11-year-old Julián Guzman was shot and killed by suspect 42-year-old Gonzalo Leon Jr. in Houston Saturday night while ding dong ditching homes with his cousin.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Division of Drug and Crime Patrol Public Information Officer Sergeant Bradley Germann tells said that he hasn’t heard of the patrol recently handling any ding dong ditching cases, adding that the DDCC specifically has not worked on any cases.
Former prosecutor Bill Tackett told ABC 17 News that homeowners in Missouri have no grounds for self-defense when someone knocks on their door, regardless of how many times it occurs.
“It would be misdemeanor harassment at the most, it doesn’t rise to the level of the Castle doctrine or stand your ground because you’re not in immediate threat of somebody trying to kill you or cause you harm,” Tackett said.
Tackett also brought up the death of Ralph Yarl in the Texas shooting. In Kansas City Mo., April 2023, 16-year-old Yarl was shot after mistakenly knocking at the wrong address to pick up his siblings.
“It was a young African-American male who simply was trying to pick up his brother and went to the wrong house and was shot by somebody who was trying to claim the Castle doctrine,” Tackett said. “It’s not and neither doctrine covers what happened.”
John recognizes that the prank can be disruptive, but recommends homeowners stay inside and avoid confrontation.
“Even the first time it occurs, it can be construed as disturbing, the peace, ding dong ditching on people’s doors in the middle of the night could cause someone alarm, could cause them fear or safety, you don’t know what kind of past trauma that they have,” John said.
“The biggest thing to keep in mind is if they haven’t entered your dwelling yet, don’t take action other than to call 911 and be prepared to protect yourself inside your dwelling,” John adds.
John also advises pranksters to find another way to have fun for their overall safety.
“When they’re running or running in the dark, there could be obstacles in the yard, there may be building a fence or maybe a pothole that they’re going to fall in or break your leg, you could run out and be hit by a car,” John said.
Homeowners are also advised to use doorbell cameras to communicate or record evidence if needed and to contact police if it becomes a real concern.
Leon was charged with murder and put on a $1 million bond on Wednesday.