Jeanine Pirro vows to prosecute parents over DC teen takeovers
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, has addressed the pressing issue of escalating teen violence in Washington, D.C., pledging to hold parents responsible. Pirro pointed to a recent incident involving a fight at a Chipotle in D.C. and expressed her commitment to prosecuting those involved. She also criticized local mayoral candidates for their unwillingness to collaborate with her office.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) in Washington, D.C. released images on Tuesday evening of four suspects linked to the chaotic brawl at a Chipotle located in the city’s Navy Yard area.
The MPD is working alongside the FBI to investigate this case, which gained widespread attention on social media after a bystander captured the Saturday altercation. The incident caused panic among the restaurant’s patrons, both adults and children, who sought shelter in a corner of the establishment.
Authorities are offering rewards for information leading to the capture and conviction of those involved. Local police have announced a $1,000 reward per suspect, while the FBI has increased the stakes with a $5,000 reward for each individual.
Surveillance footage released by D.C. Police shows four juvenile suspects wanted in connection with the viral brawl that occurred on May 16 at the Chipotle in the Navy Yard.
The video depicts two groups of teenagers engaging in a violent confrontation, tossing furniture around the restaurant. In one shocking moment, a suspect uses a children’s high chair as a weapon against another individual before throwing it at them. Throughout the ordeal, onlookers scrambled to protect themselves from the unfolding chaos.
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The violent outburst was the latest in an ever-growing trend of teen takeovers, many of which have turned violent, across the nation’s capital and specifically in the city’s Navy Yard.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro had vowed Friday, just a day before the brawl, to prosecute parents of youth suspects who commit crimes after the city’s nightly curfew, which will take effect during the summer.
She doubled down after the video went viral.
Teens brawl inside a Chipotle in Washington, D.C.’s Navy Yard on Saturday, May 16, 2026. (Reddit/r/washingtondc)
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“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,” Pirro told reporters at a news conference Monday.
“Parents, you are not a bystander in this crisis. The taxpayers who were footing the bill by extra policing, cleaning up damaged property, suffering the effects of these illegal gatherings, whether it be noise or fights or robberies or chaos, are done starting now,” she added. “Parents, you’re paying the bills and if you know where your teen is and what your teen is doing, and you allow them to continue their conduct and continue to allow them to flourish, then we’re going to prosecute you.”
Jeanine Pirro, U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, spoke during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 6, 2026. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Under Pirro’s plan, adults will be charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor if their children are busted causing late-night chaos.
MPD told Fox News Digital there were no further updates as of Wednesday morning.
Fox News Digital reached out to the FBI.
