The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department at the Overton Substation is warning parents to educate their kids about the legality of pranks such as social media fads.

Moapa Valley residents have been speaking out on social media about safety concerns regarding a couple of recent incidents involving teenagers. LVMPD Sergeant Keegan Doty said the incidents were not the result of random teenagers.

“We have identified and know who is involved, and the incidents have been handled,” he said.

One incident involved teens going around at night doing “ding-dong ditching” and other door pranks. These instances have been on the rise since TikTok videos of other kids and adults doing ding-dong ditching, dressing in scary or creepy masks, sitting at doors so security cameras can see them or kicking doors.

Doty reminded parents to teach their children about the laws regarding such pranks, including curfews, trespassing on private property and vandalism. He expressed concern with the pranks within an area related to 2nd Amendment rights.

“Parents need to educate their kids that all actions have consequences and what those consequences are,” he said.

However, he also added that property owners need to educate themselves on self-defense rights and keep their emotions in check. He said it takes one little misaction to turn what many consider self-defense into a crime. Doty reminded everyone that each state has its own definition of self-defense.

According to several criminal justice and law websites, someone can be charged with murder even if they claim self-defense because prosecutors must prove the necessity of the action, the immediacy of the threat, and the reasonableness of the defender’s belief. This makes such defenses intricate and highly dependent on the facts; failing to meet these criteria can result in the use of force being ruled as excessive or unjustified.

In recent months, there have been several cases nationwide where a property owner was charged with manslaughter after shooting a person who broke into their house due to several factors, including shooting an unarmed perpetrator in the back while they were running away. For example, Joel Florez, 43, in Big Spring, Texas, was charged with murder after shooting a home intruder earlier this month.

An apparent assault also took place just outside of CABLP, where a group of teenagers was seen beating an older man. Doty said that both parties were detained, and after investigation, both sides could charge the other party for a crime, but neither side filed charges.

Doty warned people about pre-judging the situation. He said the case was resolved, and it was not random teens like the public is concerned about.

Other recent concerns include a buildup of problems with drivers in school zones. Doty reminded people that they need to remember the laws regarding driving and parking within school zones. Parking in front of private properties is not allowed, especially at Grant Bowler Elementary. He also restated that U-turns are illegal. All pedestrians in crosswalks must be all the way over the crosswalk before a car can drive through it.

“We have some new people and some who forgot during the holiday break that there are laws in place within school zones, and they need to watch their speeds, be aware of their environments and park in designated and legal parking areas,” Doty stated.

He invited people to contact the police department for any clarification and noted they can always take self-defense classes, such as a concealed carry firearms class or martial arts.

For a good article about what determines a justifiable use of self-defense in Nevada, visit https://nvbar.org/wp-content/uploads/NevLawyer_Feb_2014_Self-Defense_Claim.pdf.