‘Ding dong ditch’ prank: Coffs Harbour man charged over alleged e-bike crash
A 78-year-old man has been charged after allegedly driving into two boys on e-bikes following a Saturday night prank in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales.
Police say a group of children knocked on the man’s door about 8.30pm before riding away on e-bikes as part of a game known as “ding dong ditch”, in which they ring a doorbell and run off.
They say the home owner then got into his car and pursued the riders.
“The man allegedly mounted a gutter and continued following the boys along a nature strip before crashing into the back of an e-bike, throwing two boys from the bike.”
CCTV footage obtained by NBN News shows the car accelerating towards the boys, aged 11 and 12, before striking them and dragging them several metres. The footage then appears to show the driver reversing as the boys scramble away.
One witness told 7NEWS the boys were “dragged for 15 to 20 metres” before escaping.
“We opened the door and we see two kids, they were panicking,” the witness said.
“They were cold, very cold and they were shivering as well.”
The father of one of the boys told the news channel he could not believe the reaction.
“It’s silly and it’s immature, but they are immature, they’re children.
“That’s how you learn. You make silly mistakes, but it doesn’t warrant you losing your life over knocking on a door and running away.”
The mother of one of the boys described the incident as “shocking”, according to the broadcaster.
While acknowledging that the children should not have been knocking on the man’s door, she said the alleged response was unjustified and “wildly disproportionate to what they’d done”.
Both boys were taken to hospital with minor injuries and have been discharged.
Police later arrested a man at his home in Coffs Harbour. He has been charged with predatory driving and knowingly driving a vehicle in a manner that menaces others.
He appeared in court on Sunday and was granted conditional bail to reappear on September 23.