WASHINGTON — DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro called for a stricter curfew while announcing a crackdown on “teen takeovers” that have led to assaults and property destruction following a wild brawl caught on video this past weekend.
Pirro threatened to prosecute both teenagers and their parents under federal statutes for contributing to the delinquency of minors — which could earn offenders up to six months in prison.
“What happened this past Saturday night at Chipotle in the Navy Yard, and what we’re seeing increasingly across the district is not only unacceptable, it is violent, it is dangerous, and it is illegal,” Pirro told reporters at a news conference.
“And I am here to tell you it’s going to stop,” she said. “And, parents, I’m talking about you. … We’re looking at the parents to make sure that they understand that they are responsible for the upheaval that is going on in this district that is impacting everyone who lives here.”
Pirro also said: “These are not harmless gatherings. They are violent and they are disruptive. And you can see from what happened at Chipotle this past weekend, it was not just violence occurring between individuals. It was simply destruction of property. It was a takeover of a restaurant by individuals who felt that they could get away with it.”
“The city belongs to law-abiding residents, not roaming mobs looking to make a name for themselves or to contribute to the chaos or violence, and to get social media attention,” she added.
“We’re coming for you and we’re coming for your parents,” she declared, threatening charges and fines up to $500 for all curfew violators as well.
DC prosecutor Michael Spence noted that in some cases the office “may be able to prosecute parents who live in Maryland or Virginia” if their “kids are still here in the district” without supervision.
Pirro joined with the city’s mayor, Muriel Bowser, in calling for changes to the District’s curfew laws, which had recently been “punted” by the DC council.
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“Right now, the curfew is 11 [p.m.] to 6 [a.m.] weekdays,” she continued. “And I think on the weekends it may be 12 [p.m.] to 6 [a.m.], but the DC council is not willing to deal with this.”
“There is a meeting tomorrow of the DC Council, and I am now asking the people of the District of Columbia, who agree with the mayor and the chief and me that they need the ability to create this curfew based upon the discretionary and the recent information, to call every one of these members of the DC Council and tell them that we need a curfew,” Pirro added.
Her office displayed billboards of every member of the council and their office’s phone numbers during the press conference.
Bowser later posted on X that an “extended juvenile curfew” would be a “vital tool” in eliminating the “teen takeovers,” where delinquent minors have got into fights and robbed or ransacked businesses.
The FBI is probing the incidents through its Washington Field Office in coordination with the Metropolitan Police Department, said the bureau’s assistant director in charge at that office, Darren Cox.
“If the subjects are 18 or older, they are considered adults in the eyes of the law, and any federal crime that they commit will be investigated and referred to the US Attorney’s Office here in DC for full and aggressive prosecution,” Cox said.
“We will support the US Attorney’s Office and also prosecuting in minors who engage in federal criminal conduct. The FBI will not tolerate physical violence or the disruption of commerce that violates federal laws.”
