Amna Nawaz
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WATCH: Pirro says D.C. youth are 'coddled,' calls for harsher treatment of teens accused of crimes
Posted
August 7, 2025
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August 7, 2025
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1:25Now PlayingU.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro called for harsher treatment of juveniles in the city accused of crimes, saying "young people are coddled" during a news conference on Thursday.
"Young people are coddled and they don't need to be coddled anymore. They need to be held accountable," Pirro said.
Pirro was responding to a question about President Donald Trump's threat to take over law enforcement in Washington, D.C., after a former employee of the Department of Government Efficiency, Edward Coristine, was allegedly assaulted during an attempted carjacking on Sunday.
D.C. police said officers patrolling nearby intervened in the attack on Coristine, nicknamed "Big Balls." Several people fled and two 15-year-olds were arrested.
Pirro did not answer whether or not she supported a federal "takeover" of the capital.
"I think that what the president was saying is that we're seeing far too much crime being committed by young people," Pirro said.
Juvenile crime has been a debated issue in Washington, D.C. over the last few years. Earlier this year, a 16-year-old pleaded guilty to the 2023 killing of a Lyft driver, an Afghan immigrant who was a former U.S. military interpreter. However, overall violent crime across the district is down by 26% compared to last year and hit a 30-year low in 2024, according to data from the Metropolitan Police Department.
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