Man reportedly brings gun to confront teens after possible ‘Door Kick Challenge’
Wilmette police arrested a man on Oct. 23 after he grabbed a gun and tracked down three teenagers who pounded on his front door, according to a police narrative of the incident.
Police reportedly received a call around 11:30 p.m. Oct. 23 that a man with a firearm was outside a home in the 500 block of Knox Avenue. Multiple police units responded to the scene, and the man was arrested without incident, said Wilmette Cmdr. Alex Mercado.
Mercado said preliminary investigation revealed that around 10:30 p.m. two teens reportedly pounded on the man’s door and then ran away around, startling the man and his dog. Mercado said the teens’ actions were more than a standard knock and closer to the “Door Kick Challenge,” a social media trend in which participants bang into a front door, flee and video-record the results.
The startled man then allegedly grabbed a firearm and got in his car to pursue the teens, locating them and another teenager near a home in the 2900 block of Central Avenue, just a block or two from the man’s home.
According to the report, the man spoke to one of the teens with the firearm holstered and tucked under his arm.
One of the teens called police to report the firearm, which Mercado said the man was permitted to own but not to carry.
Mercado said the man and the teens were cooperative with responding officers. The man said he recognized one of the teens who he said previously pounded or kicked his front door.
No one was injured, and the man was taken into custody and eventually charged with aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon, the police report says.
Two of the teens were issued local citations for underage drinking, Mercado said.
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Joe Coughlin
Joe Coughlin is a co-founder and the editor in chief of The Record. He leads investigative reporting and reports on anything else needed. Joe has been recognized for his investigative reporting and sports reporting, feature writing and photojournalism. Follow Joe on Twitter @joec2319
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