A pair of juveniles pulled up outside a North Phoenix home in a red Ford truck early one September morning, walked through the front gate, and headed for the double front doors.
Seconds later, one of them turned and kicked the doors hard enough to send them open, surveillance footage released by Phoenix police shows. Both ran back toward the truck.
Police estimated the damage at roughly $10,000. The family later described an even more serious consequence inside the house: one resident initially believed somebody was breaking in and reached for a gun.
Phoenix police have now arrested a 14-year-old boy they identified as the person who kicked the doors. The department believes the Sept. 12 incident was connected to the social media trend commonly known as the “Door Kick Challenge.”
The Door Opens
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Around 6:30 a.m. Sept. 12, Phoenix police responded to a criminal-damage report at a home near 44th Street and Thunderbird Road.
Police said two juveniles arrived in a red Ford truck before one kicked in the front entrance and caused an estimated $10,000 in damage.
Surveillance footage distributed by the Phoenix Police Department shows one juvenile at the double doors with his leg extended into the entrance while another stands several feet behind him. The red truck is visible across the street.
A resident identified by ABC15 Arizona only as Brooke said she heard a loud bang before finding the doors standing open.
Earlier reporting from Arizona’s Family described the reaction inside the home. A woman who asked not to be identified said she initially thought someone was breaking in and immediately reached for a firearm.
The family said the custom-built doors would have to be completely remade, putting the estimated loss at about $10,000.
A Stolen Truck
The vehicle carrying the pair added another piece to the case.
Phoenix police later confirmed that the red Ford truck used during the incident had been reported stolen out of Scottsdale.
The department has not said the 14-year-old stole that truck.
Police said they did find additional evidence linking him to another stolen vehicle.
The teen was taken into custody Sept. 23 and booked into the Durango Juvenile Detention Facility on one count of criminal damage and one count of unlawful use of transportation.
Phoenix police blurred both juveniles’ faces in the surveillance images it released and have not publicly identified the 14-year-old.
The Other Teen
The second juvenile visible in the surveillance footage has not been identified.
Phoenix Police Sgt. Sheree Lee told ABC15 that police were not seeking to arrest or charge that person in connection with the damaged doors because the second juvenile was not the one who physically kicked them open.
Police have separately investigated other reported door-kicking incidents and have linked this case to the “Door Kick Challenge,” in which participants kick or pound on residential doors and run away while recording the stunt for social media.
The firearm inside the Phoenix home illustrates why the stunt can create consequences beyond property damage. The resident said she believed somebody was forcing their way into the house before learning what had happened.