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Knock and run! Shocking CCTV footage shows children launching smoke grenade at family home
22 April 2025, 14:14 | Updated: 22 April 2025, 17:58
A mother-of-two says her family were left 'freaked out' after a brazen pair of children launched a live smoke grenade at their home, in a shocking attack caught on camera.
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Dawn told LBC that her family home in Horsham, Sussex, has regularly been targeted and vandalised by youths in the area.
The youngsters' thuggish behaviour was captured on Dawn's doorbell camera on Saturday (April 12) afternoon, as they walked onto to the property and aggressively kicked in the front door.
Seconds later, one of the kids can be seen throwing a flare, which has white smoke billowing out of it, at their home, before they both flee the scene.
Thankfully, no one was hurt by the attack and no damage was caused to the house, but Dawn is calling for the police to take action.
CCTV shows moment two boys throw smoke bomb into front garden
Recalling the shocking events of that day, she said: "They had come to our door a few times that day to kick and bang on it.
"I had gone outside once to shout at them and posted a video on Facebook of their behaviour to try and scare them off doing it again."
But this social media post did not deter the children and five minutes later, the children returned to the property with the lit flare.
Dawn was unaware of their new tool, as she had decided to ignore their latest barrage of door-knocking by sitting in her back garden.
However, she was made aware of it after her children spotted smoke rising up from under the front door and ran to tell her.
"Everywhere in the house stank of smoke," Dawn said. "Because it was a white smoke flare, it was a lot thicker and we couldn't get rid of the smell. Even though my husband went out and put it out straight away."
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Dawn believes the children wanted to "cause harm" and throw the smoke bomb inside their home.
"The only reason I didn’t go because I had already been out once and they were clearly not going to stop, she said.
'But they definitely wanted us to open the door so they could throw it in. They wanted to cause harm."
The Sussex mother claims the children are well-known in the area for causing trouble, but have "no fear" because their has been no consequences for their actions.
She has posted the footage onto a local Facebook page and been told by members to go to the police.
But despite making contact with the force, she is still waiting to hear back from them.
"It was more shocking of how they feel they can get away with it," Dawn said.
"We are kind of used to it, it shocked me and my husband. To see kids want to cause harm, were they doing it because they knew us or would they do it to people they didn’t know?
"It really freaks me out that they could go and do the same thing to a little old lady's house. They never face any consequences."
A Sussex Police spokesperson said: "Police received a report of threatening and anti-social behaviour at an address in Littlehaven Lane, Horsham.
"An incident was reported to us at about 6.45pm on 12 April, and the matter remains under investigation."
