Jeanine Pirro vows to prosecute parents over DC teen takeovers
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro addresses the rising issue of violent teen takeovers in the city, vowing to hold parents accountable. Pirro highlights a recent brawl inside a D.C. Chipotle and expresses determination to prosecute offenders. She also criticizes D.C. mayoral candidates for their stance on non-cooperation with her office.
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The Metro Police Department (MPD) in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday evening released images of four suspects in a massive brawl at a Chipotle restaurant in the city’s Navy Yard.
MPD and the FBI have teamed up to investigate the case, which sent shockwaves across social media after a bystander filmed the Saturday fight that left adults and young children huddling for safety in the corner of the eatery.
Local police are offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of each subject, while the FBI is offering a $5,000 reward per head.
D.C. Police released surveillance photos of four juvenile suspects wanted after a viral May 16 brawl at a Chipotle restaurant in the city’s Navy Yard. (Metro Police Department)
The video shows two groups of juveniles whaling on each other and hurling furniture across the restaurant. At one point, one suspect used a children’s high chair to beat another suspect before launching it at him. All the while, the horrified onlookers tried to protect themselves from the violence.
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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.
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MPD told Fox News Digital there were no further updates as of Wednesday morning.
Fox News Digital reached out to the FBI.