Some residents living in fear after door kicking trend terrorizes Longleaf neighborhood

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Kicking doors at night is an alarming trend scaring many in the Longleaf community of Jacksonville.

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The HOA said they’re working with police to monitor the situation.

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This has been an ongoing issue since April.

The HOA said after the first kicking incident it seemed to have gone away but that there’s been a handful of these recently and it’s concerning.

While it seems like fun and games, it’s dangerous for both whoever is responsible and the homeowners.

Action News Jax told you on Saturday how one kick busted open a homeowner’s door and destroyed its frame, leaving her family feeling helpless.

“You don’t know what you have done to me and my family... you don’t know what you’re doing to our neighborhood,” said the homeowner who didn’t want to be identified on camera.

A handful of incidents were caught on camera since April and now the homeowners association said it’s “committed to taking all necessary measures to address and prevent such occurrences.”

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“We have people who are handling it and we have trained people who are handling it,” Gary Kelly said. “It’s scaring people, it’s scaring their children and we want that to come to an end, that’s what concerns us.”

Kelly is the vice president of the Longleaf HOA. He couldn’t share specific information regarding security measures but said it’s crucial that if this happens, report the issue and let the police handle it.

“We don’t want to get into a situation where a homeowner reacts out of fear and then all of sudden they’re dealing with an issue they don’t wanna face either,” Kelly said.

Reacting out of fear is also something Action News Jax law and safety expert Dale Carson said could lead to an unfortunate tragedy.

“If someone hammers on your door and flees, they just do that and they’re gone. They’re no longer a threat and you can’t take any action,” Carson said. “On the other hand, if they kick in your door, as soon as the door opens by their force it’s a burglary. It’s in progress so you’re allowed to exercise and permitted under self-defense rules to exercise the use of deadly force.”

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Carson is a criminal defense attorney with years of experience and law enforcement. He said even if it is a prank, most people won’t think of it that way and that’s not known at the time.

“Based on your reporting and things I’ve seen specifically on Ring Camera footage, they didn’t intend to break into the house but I wouldn’t know that as a homeowner and that’s the problem,” Carson said.

The HOA said they’re taking this seriously and they -- along with neighbors -- want this to end.

“This is our home, this is not a playground for you... so stop...just stop,” the homeowner who didn’t want to be identified said.

Whoever is responsible appears to be driving in a golf cart. The HOA said it’s unclear if they live in the community or are coming from somewhere else.

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They also said they did a recent survey that said 87 percent of residents feel safe but they said that’s not high enough. With this going on they want to get to the bottom of it. The HOA is urging homeowners and residents to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity by contacting the sheriff’s office.

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