Police in Georgia have reported that five teenagers were allegedly involved in a “ding dong ditch” prank that resulted in one of the pranksters being assaulted, are now facing charges of trespassing.
The incident occurred on Tybee Island, just outside Savannah, and it was one of two similar cases nationally last month where such pranks escalated into violence. In Delaware, a teenager engaged in a doorbell ditch prank was allegedly assaulted by a state trooper when the prank reached the officer’s own doorstep.
The Tybee Island Police Department has not released the names of the suspects but stated that they are facing recommended charges of criminal trespassing. The case is now in the hands of a juvenile court for further consideration.
In a surprising twist, the resident whose home was targeted in the prank was arrested the following Monday after evading authorities. The suspect, identified as William Cole, allegedly pursued the teens in a vehicle, attempted to strike them, and then physically assaulted one of them. Fortunately, no serious injuries were reported.
Cole’s arrest was based on a warrant that included allegations of aggravated assault and child cruelty. It remains unclear whether he has retained legal counsel, and the local public defender’s office has not yet responded to requests for comment.
Meanwhile, in Delaware, a state trooper was suspended after a doorbell ditch prank at his residence ended with a teenager in the hospital and raised concerns about the use of force by authorities.
The incident occurred on August 21 when a group of teenagers approached the trooper’s home, and one of them kicked the door before they fled. According to Samuel Davis, an attorney representing the injured teen’s family, the prank was captured on Ring doorbell video, leading state troopers to identify and locate the teen involved.
The 15-year-old, referred to as Jayden, fled the scene but later surrendered after being ordered to the ground by troopers. According to Davis, troopers applied pressure on Jayden’s neck and back and kicked him in the side during the arrest. Jayden reportedly begged for his mother and for his life throughout the ordeal.
Jayden was handcuffed, placed in a patrol vehicle, and taken to an empty parking lot, where a trooper residing at the targeted home arrived. The trooper allegedly shone a flashlight on Jayden, punched him in the face, and taunted him for attempting a “ding dong ditch” prank at a trooper’s house.
After waiting for half an hour for medical attention, Jayden was finally hospitalized. He suffered an orbital rim fracture around his eye and experienced jaw pain, as well as neurological symptoms from head trauma.
During Jayden’s hospital stay, he remained handcuffed to a stretcher until authorities realized it was a misunderstanding and released him from custody, according to Davis. Additionally, troopers surrounded the home of another teenager unrelated to the prank, and a third teenager near the scene of Jayden’s arrest was ordered out of his vehicle at gunpoint.
Delaware State Police have not provided specific responses to Jayden’s allegations, though they have suspended the trooper whose home was targeted pending an investigation into the matter.
Davis is working to obtain body camera footage from Jayden’s detention and is questioning how communication was established inside the trooper’s home to summon multiple officers, a helicopter unit, and a canine unit without using 911.
The credibility of state troopers is at stake, Davis asserts, while the state agency emphasizes its commitment to community trust.
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In a separate incident in July, Anurag Chandra was sentenced to life without parole for causing the deaths of three teenagers in Southern California in 2020. Chandra ran their car off the road after the teens had engaged in a doorbell ditch prank at his Temescal Valley home, approximately 60 miles southeast of Los Angeles, according to prosecutors.