A Miami-Dade man is facing felony charges after deputies say he pulled a gun on two juveniles who had been playing ding-dong ditch, then struck one of them in the ear hard enough to require stitches. Juan Francisco Carranza, 32, was taken into custody shortly after leaving his residence on Wednesday, days after the confrontation allegedly unfolded on a quiet residential street.
According to WSVN 7News, the incident happened around 7:35 p.m. last Thursday, when a group of juveniles was playing the prank in a Miami-Dade neighborhood, knocking on roughly four doors before running off. Deputies say Carranza pulled out a firearm during the encounter and waved it near two of the juveniles' faces, demanding to know which of them was the oldest.
Deputies Say Child Needed Stitches After Being Struck
Deputies allege that Carranza then struck one juvenile near the left ear with the base of the gun's grip, leaving a laceration that required multiple stitches. A second juvenile corroborated the victim's account, per the arrest report cited by the station. The confrontation, which began over a harmless neighborhood prank familiar to generations of kids, escalated into a violent physical injury within moments, according to the account deputies gave investigators.
During questioning, investigators said Carranza made a partial admission but declined to answer whether he had a firearm during the incident without an attorney present. He now faces charges of aggravated child abuse and aggravated assault with a firearm. A judge found probable cause for both charges and set his bond at $10,000.
Florida Law on Aggravated Assault and Child Abuse
Under Florida law, aggravated assault is defined as an assault committed with a deadly weapon without intent to kill, or with intent to commit a felony, according to the Florida Legislature. The aggravated child abuse statute, meanwhile, covers conduct including aggravated battery on a child, willful torture or malicious punishment, or knowingly and willfully abusing a child in a way that causes great bodily harm, permanent disability or permanent disfigurement, per the same legislative text. That statute classifies aggravated child abuse as a first-degree felony.
The case echoes a similar dispute that played out in Boca Raton last year, though with a very different outcome. Santiago Cairo was arrested after a ding-dong-ditch prank escalated into a firearm-related confrontation, but as WPTV reported, charges against him were dropped about a month later. Cairo told the station he had called 911 and grabbed his gun to check on neighbors after seeing a stranger in a hoodie flee his front door, and a 911 call captured conflicting accounts, with Cairo saying his gun was pointed at the ground while the teenager involved claimed it had been aimed at him.
No such dispute over the gun's positioning has emerged in the Miami-Dade case so far, and the evidence gathered so far does not establish Carranza's attorney, plea, or how the case may proceed through the courts. Carranza remains charged with aggravated child abuse and aggravated assault with a firearm following his arrest, with bond set at $10,000 after a judge found probable cause to move the case forward.
