West Boca Man Charged With Pulling Gun on Teen Who Rang Doorbell As Prank

Santiago Cairo (Photo: Palm Beach County Jail)

A round of the age-old teen prank “Ding, Dong, Ditch” ended in a juvenile being held at gunpoint and ordered to the ground by a West Boca resident who has since been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

The incident played out on the 6300 block of Boca Circle in unincorporated Boca Raton at about 8 p.m. Oct. 16, according to a police report from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. The man who allegedly held the teen at gunpoint, Santiago Cairo, 40, has since been released on bond.

According to the report, Cairo called police to report what was described as a “burglary” and was ordered by 911 dispatchers to secure it before deputies arrived. When they arrived minutes later, deputies found Cairo and a juvenile male at the scene who ran to them when they arrived. Several witnesses were also interviewed. Responding deputies quickly determined that no burglary had taken place, but rather a “juvenile prank.”

The PBSO detective who filed the report said he took a statement from the juvenile, then accompanied by his mother. The juvenile said he and his friends were playing a prank commonly known as “Ding, Dong, Ditch” wherein teens knock on a door or ring a doorbell, then run away as fast as they can. After knocking on one door, a man – later identified as Cairo – confronted the teens, who believed he may have been a law enforcement officer due to his “tone, commands and possession of a firearm.” The teen told detectives the man was holding a flashlight and a gun with a light attachment, and continually raised and lowered the firearm, pointing it toward his torso and legs.

Cairo allegedly told the teen he “messed with the wrong guy,” after which the juvenile followed orders to place his cell phone on the ground and get down on his knees. He also accused Cairo of grabbing his shoulder and pushing him downward while in the kneeling position. The incident ended when he “ran toward law enforcement officers for safety” when they arrived.

Cairo was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill. He was booked and released from the Palm Beach County Jail on $10,000 bond.