New video: Gatesville PD asking for help to find individuals participating in ‘aggressive Ding Dong Ditching’ TikTok challenge

GATESVILLE, Texas (KWTX) - The Gatesville Police Department is asking for the public’s help to find individuals who participated in an “aggressive Ding Dong Ditching” TikTok challenge that caused property damage to multiple neighborhoods on November 15.

Between 12:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m. on Saturday, suspects went through several neighborhoods participating in what police describe as a harmful spin on the classic ding dong ditch prank. The social media challenge involves participants body slamming into doors, causing real damage to properties.

The incidents occurred in the Grandview, Cottonwood, Hillcrest, and Oak neighborhoods, as well as communities surrounding the Gatesville Golf Course. In one instance, suspects destroyed an entire doorframe on someone’s home.

Suspects and vehicles identified

Police say the individuals appeared to be between the ages of 13-19 and were driving a golf cart and a white car during the challenge. The suspects were wearing shorts, t-shirts and tennis shoes.

Police estimate victims suffered hundreds of dollars in damage. Some of those affected are elderly residents on fixed incomes, making repairs particularly challenging.

“That’s horrible for them. And it’s scary. Someone came and kicked their door in the middle of the night. They don’t feel safe,” said Amanda Stiles, the investigator handling the case.

Trend spreads from larger cities

Stiles said the door kick challenge has appeared in larger cities before reaching Gatesville.

“You have kids that are running up and kicking front doors. In some instances, they’re kicking through front doors. And that’s not safe,” she said.

Jeremy Bullion lives on one of the targeted streets and worries his home could be next.

“It’s kind of stupid. But people are gonna be people. They don’t care,” Bullion said. “All it’s gonna cause you is trouble.”

Police seek evidence

Police are requesting security camera footage from residents in the affected neighborhoods and any information relevant to identifying the suspects. Investigators are also monitoring social media platforms for videos of the pranks, but have not found any posts yet.

Stiles believes the suspects may not have realized the serious nature of their actions.

“They also may have just been doing it like ‘Ha ha, let’s go have fun.’ But it was more serious than just some fun because it caused so much damage,” she said.

Safety concerns

Investigators are following all leads and hope to identify the suspects before the situation escalates. Stiles expressed concern about what could happen if the teenagers target the wrong house.

“That may result in very serious to deadly harm to these kids that are running around doing this. And we don’t want that to happen,” she said.

Anyone with information or camera footage should call 254-865-2226, the police department’s non-emergency line, and reference case number 25110033.

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