U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro warned of a potential increase in teenage violence, accusing D.C. Council members of fueling “criminal chaos.”
Pirro joined “Fox & Friends” Wednesday to discuss the D.C. Council delaying a vote to extend teen curfews. She argued it is part of a culture of allowing young criminals to get away unscathed.
“The mentality in D.C. is that, if you’re less than 18 years of age, unless you kill somebody or do something really serious, it goes to the family court, where the purpose is simply what is in the best interest of the child,” Pirro said.
“There is no punishment, there is no retribution, there is no deterrence. You can go to an ice cream social or yoga,” she added.
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On Tuesday, the D.C. Council delayed a vote on extending the curfews until the next legislative session on April 21. The curfews, however, are set to expire April 15.
The delay comes as officials report a rise in “teen takeovers,” where large groups gather, sometimes damaging businesses and sparking violence. The Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., was the site of one of these meetups, where several minors were assaulted and robbed, according to authorities.
“These alleged social gatherings turn into criminal chaos,” Pirro said. “Families are affected by it, businesses end up being shuttered, there’s violence that occurs.”
The takeovers, which can include hundreds of people, have taken place across the country, including in New York City, Chicago and Florida. More than a dozen teenagers were taken into custody after a fight broke out during a “takeover” event at a mall in Glendale, Wisconsin.
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Pirro argued these incidents are encouraged by what she described as a lack of deterrence in the criminal justice system and called for stricter consequences for youth offenders.
She noted that in many cases, by the time a suspect is 18, their record already includes shootings, carjackings and robberies.
“Then all of a sudden, we’re surprised to see them committing a murder by the time I get them, because there is no deterrence,” she said.
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D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser expressed her disappointment in the council for allowing the “juvenile curfew zones to expire.” She called on council members to reconsider their decision not to act on renewing the measure.
“We all want our young people to be able to socialize in age-appropriate ways and in environments that are safe for themselves, for their peers, and for the entire community,” Bowser wrote on X.
“But as adults, we cannot abdicate our responsibility to respond to behaviors that put young people or our community at risk.”
In 2025, President Donald Trump deployed hundreds of National Guard members to the nation’s capital to help reduce crime.
