One Surrey resident woke to a doorbell ringing early Sunday morning, but no one was there—after reviewing security camera video, she realized she’d been the victim of an interesting case of “ding-dong-ditch.” In an email to CTV News, Julia Michel explained that the ring gave her family a bit of a scare and called the incident “unsettling at first,” as they were unsure why someone would be at the door of their Panorama Ridge-area home at that hour, but watching the video turned that fear into amusement. “One of them takes a spectacular fall on the way up to the house, gets himself back together, and then continues with the prank anyway. Commitment, I guess,” she wrote. “It’s a fairly convincing demonstration of instant karma.” Sgt. Ali Gailus with the Surrey Police Service said that, while a prank like this can be bothersome for some people, “it is not a criminal offence if it is a one-time instance, there is no damage to the property, and the individuals have not already been told to stay off the property.” She explained that the SPS doesn’t typically get calls for these kinds of incidents, but urged locals to call day or night if suspicious people or circumstances are causing concern for their safety or property. When asked about what message the SPS has for people playing pranks like this, Gailus said, “What might seem like a minor prank of ringing someone’s doorbell, it can cause distress and fear for residents.” “A prank isn’t harmless when someone else is left feeling unsafe,” she added. Michel said she posted the video locally in hopes of identifying the pranksters, whose faces are mostly covered by masks. She said this is the first time her family has experienced something like this as well, as they only moved to the neighbourhood about six months ago, so she’s not sure if this is something that happens regularly. “We’ve heard about more serious incidents around the area, like stolen vehicles and attempted break-ins, but never really pranks like this. That’s probably why being woken up by the doorbell in the middle of the night was so unsettling,” Michel explained. “When you’re suddenly jerked awake, you don’t know that it’s just teenagers pulling a prank. Your mind immediately goes to something more serious.”
