Original Coverage & Source Attribution: katu.com
VANCOUVER, Wash. (KATU) — A Vancouver man says he grabbed a gun after someone kicked in his door Monday night, fearing his home was being burglarized. The man did not realize it was part of a viral TikTok “Door Kicking” challenge.
Darren Goan said he was sitting in his living room with his dog, Chugs, when he heard people talking outside. That’s when he said the door flew open and came off its frame.
“The next thing I know, I hear the loudest bang ever,” Goan said. “I was like, ‘Did a car come through and smash my door?’ It was that loud. And that’s when I saw my door fly open, and it came off the frame. That’s when I kind of went into fight-or-flight mode.”
Goan said he went to get his gun to defend himself but did not fire it.
“You have to do what you have to do, yeah, and you don’t know what’s going on, so I had no idea what was happening at the time,” he explained.
A neighbor’s surveillance video shows a group of kids running away from Goan’s apartment. But Vancouver Police say they are unable to confirm if they were involved.
Goan said he hopes it prompts parents to talk with their children about the dangers of online challenges.
READ MORE | Neighbor warns of ‘door kick challenge’ reports in Portland metro: ‘It’s very dangerous’
The Door Kick Challenge, also called the “Door Knock” Challenge, is a dangerous social media trend where participants run up to random residential doors, kick or slam against them, and then run off.
A recent incident at a home in Hillsboro was captured on surveillance camera. KATU News spoke to the homeowner.
“And I heard this loud boom, like I literally thought somebody was trying to break in with a door, because it was really loud,” Marta Sanchez said.
Sanchez said she checked her camera and saw the kids leaving.
Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy David Huey told KATU News the behavior goes beyond ringing a doorbell and running away.
“You know, it could certainly be scary, and it’s difficult to predict how the other person on that door might react,” he said.
