A TikTok challenge involving kicking a home乌鸦传媒檚 door and running away before the occupants answer took a nasty turn in Crown Isle, when the homeowners confronted the youths.
Owen May has been on the receiving end of this prank for a number of years. This year has been especially bad.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 been four, four-and-a-half years of these kids kicking down our door in the middle of the night,乌鸦传媒� said the Crown Isle resident. 乌鸦传媒淚t usually goes on for about a week straight, then it stops for about a year, and then it starts again. Kicking the doors, causing damage乌鸦传媒� the first time I thought our house was on fire (and someone was warning us).
乌鸦传媒淧robably 80 per cent of our neighbourhood in Crown Isle are seniors. They are doing it to their homes as well. There are eight other homes on my street that just by this incident this week, I have found out they have all installed security cameras on their properties because they had their doors kicked in. So it乌鸦传媒檚 not just me being targeted.乌鸦传媒�
The latest incidents began the week of March 13.
According to May, his door was kicked repeatedly, late in the night on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. He said he called the RCMP after the second incident, but the trespassing persisted, to no avail. After the fourth incident of the week, Friday, March 17, May decided to take matters into his own hands, in an effort to catch the perpetrators.
He set up a trip wire with fishing line under the door so that when the perpetrator kicked the door and tried to run away, the line would trip him up. The youths came back on Sunday night.
The Mays saw them approaching, jumped out of bed and went to the front door.
乌鸦传媒淎s soon as they came and kicked on the door, I was on the other side of the door and pulled the line tight and caught his ankle,乌鸦传媒� said May.
The one youth tripped, and the front door immediately opened and May乌鸦传媒檚 wife, Laura, pounced on the fallen trespasser.
The ensuing struggle with the teens at the front of the Mays乌鸦传媒� house resulted in severe lacerations to Owen乌鸦传媒檚 arms and legs. His injuries are so extensive he can乌鸦传媒檛 put on socks or shoes, and therefore can乌鸦传媒檛 work.
Laura needed stitches to her eyelid. The assailants allegedly used flashlights as weapons and ripped her top off.
Assault charges are pending against the youths.
Owen May乌鸦传媒檚 actions are not without consequences of their own.
Charges are also pending against him, relevant to Section 247 (1) of the Criminal Code of Canada: Traps likely to cause bodily harm.
乌鸦传媒淲e do have an active investigation on both sides - there is an alleged assault, and on the other side乌鸦传媒� he (May) set traps that can harm people and that is a criminal offence,乌鸦传媒� said Comox Valley RCMP Insp. Mike Kurvers. 乌鸦传媒淪o we are looking at both sides of this.
乌鸦传媒淲e have identified the people and are trying to work out arrangements from both parties, but it is a police investigation, so we can乌鸦传媒檛 release too much.乌鸦传媒�
Kurvers said the alleged assailants are 16 years old.
May was unaware of the charges pending against him.
乌鸦传媒淚t wasn乌鸦传媒檛 meant to cause bodily harm; it was just meant to stop them,乌鸦传媒� said May. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 not like it was a leg-hold trap. It wasn乌鸦传媒檛 there to break his ankle. It was just to trip him up.乌鸦传媒�
One neighbour, Terry McLaughlan, was dumbfounded when hearing about the pending charges against May.
乌鸦传媒淭hat乌鸦传媒檚 just insane,乌鸦传媒� said McLaughlan, who moved to Crown Isle in 2019. 乌鸦传媒淚乌鸦传媒檝e had to put up security cameras because of this kind of stuff too. I乌鸦传媒檝e had my door (kicked), and had one of the kids challenge me and try to pick a fight with me, and I called the police and they never even got back to me. So the police aren乌鸦传媒檛 addressing any of these issues, and when someone does something to try to (catch them)乌鸦传媒� the guy gets in trouble. It乌鸦传媒檚 just ridiculous.乌鸦传媒�
Another neighbour, Terri (who asked that her last name not be used) said she has been a victim of similar events, going back to the summer of 2022. Her husband eventually bought security cameras, which have helped resolve the issue.
乌鸦传媒淲e were harassed by them for months and months and months, and finally spent a lot of money to protect ourselves,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淣obody, not even a door-to-door salesman, has the right to come to your door and harass you.乌鸦传媒�
Terri has seen the video of the confrontation on the May property and she said it was hard to watch.
乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 physically painful to watch the way Laura and Owen are both dragged across the exposed aggregate on their front sidewalk by those young men, and quite honestly, the way they ripped her clothes off her, that乌鸦传媒檚 assault.乌鸦传媒�
She was surprised to hear about the pending charges against May.
乌鸦传媒淚 don乌鸦传媒檛 understand how we don乌鸦传媒檛 have the right to protect ourselves or our property,乌鸦传媒� she said. 乌鸦传媒淚 am really surprised and disgusted that they would turn this around and even attempt to charge Owen. He did the right thing by trying to protect his own home, and I believe his actions will, going forward, put an end to the terrorization in this community.乌鸦传媒�
Kurvers said there has been no increase in delinquent activity in Crown Isle, or anywhere else in the Comox Valley.
乌鸦传媒淐rown Isle is a very safe area. There will obviously be offshoots of little things here and there, but I am going to say the whole community is pretty safe - all of Comox Valley, speaking from a police perspective.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淭hat乌鸦传媒檚 a bunch of crap,乌鸦传媒� said McLaughlan. 乌鸦传媒淚 know Owen personally, and this has been going on, and on, and on. It乌鸦传媒檚 affected both him and his wife. It乌鸦传媒檚 ridiculous to think that someone can do this and get away with it.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淢y wife can乌鸦传媒檛 even sleep at night anymore,乌鸦传媒� said May. 乌鸦传媒淚 roll over in bed and she wakes up screaming. That乌鸦传媒檚 how tormented she is. We have called the police, but do you think they have time to show up? No. We don乌鸦传媒檛 even hear back from them. I think one time in the last four years they have actually shown up (prior to Tuesday, March 14).乌鸦传媒�
Terri said she contacted the police when her incidents happened and said there was no follow-up.
乌鸦传媒淚 remember one conversation I had with the police. I called the police and I gave them a description of the individual, and they - the police - never came to my house, never questioned me, never told me if they saw the kids. Nothing ever happened with them.乌鸦传媒�
She said no police file was ever made.
The Beelers, who live down the street from May, have installed security cameras, after having their door kicked in November.
乌鸦传媒淭hese kids have been coming up and down (throughout the neighbourhood) and it乌鸦传媒檚 annoying - I乌鸦传媒檓 82 years old, I don乌鸦传媒檛 need this nonsense, and neither does my 80-year-old wife,乌鸦传媒� said Bob Beeler. 乌鸦传媒淭here are a lot of seniors up and down the street here and it乌鸦传媒檚 annoying as hell. We don乌鸦传媒檛 need this.乌鸦传媒�
After identifying one of the perpetrators, May confronted the father, who confirmed it was his son in the video.
乌鸦传媒淗e was almost in tears when he saw the video. I asked him, 乌鸦传媒業f this had happened to you for the last four years, how would you and your wife sleep at night?乌鸦传媒� He was shocked. He said, 乌鸦传媒楳y son is a shy kid, doesn乌鸦传媒檛 get out much, and is a straight-A student.乌鸦传媒�
乌鸦传媒淗e did offer to have his son do some yardwork around my place, but I told him I just preferred his son and his friends stay out of Crown Isle. I乌鸦传媒檓 probably out about $2,400 in damages and (security) equipment purchased, and I am losing about $250 a day in wages because I can乌鸦传媒檛 put socks and shoes on.乌鸦传媒�
Terri said the police officer leading the investigation has informed her that because the kids have seen that there are extreme consequences to such actions, hopefully, there will be no more such situations going forward.
乌鸦传媒淚f so, that乌鸦传媒檚 thanks to Owen,乌鸦传媒� said Terri. 乌鸦传媒淣ot thanks to the RCMP; thanks to Owen and Laura.乌鸦传媒�
The Record has reached out to the father of the assailant for comment.
terry.farrell@comoxvalleyrecord.com
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