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Jeanine Pirro vows to prosecute parents over DC teen takeovers
In the heart of Washington, D.C., a pressing concern is capturing the attention of both citizens and authorities: the surge in violent incidents involving teenagers. Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, is stepping into the fray with a bold promise to hold not just the young offenders, but their parents accountable as well. Her resolve was underscored following a recent, highly publicized brawl that erupted inside a Chipotle restaurant in the city.
Determined to take decisive action against juvenile crime, Pirro has openly criticized local mayoral candidates for their reluctance to cooperate with her office’s efforts. In a candid interview with Fox News, she emphasized her commitment to instilling safety in the nation’s capital, regardless of local political resistance.
The three top Democratic candidates for mayor of the nation’s capital all said during a Monday night debate that they would refuse to cooperate with Pirro’s recently-announced plan to charge parents of juveniles who break the curfew that the city has imposed.
“I’m going to achieve what needs to be done, come what may,” Pirro declared to Lawrence B. Jones on “Fox & Friends.” She articulated her unwavering stance, asserting that she would not allow political obstacles to compromise the safety of D.C. residents. “The people of this city have a fundamental right to feel secure, and they should not hesitate to demand it,” she added.
Speaking at a news conference at the Department of Justice on February 6, 2026, Pirro reaffirmed her strategy to involve parents in addressing the uptick in youth violence. Her plan, initially unveiled last Friday, gained further urgency after the Chipotle altercation in the Navy Yard neighborhood made the rounds on social media, prompting her to reiterate her commitment in a follow-up press briefing.
Pirro announced the plan to hold parents accountable last Friday, but after a massive brawl inside a Navy Yard neighborhood Chipotle went viral, she doubled down in a news conference on Monday.
Hours later, Democrats running for mayor said in unison that they would not work with Pirro, and one even called the curfew plans “dangerous.”
“Right now, using the curfew as a tool for our young people is dangerous. It is dangerous because we have federal troops who are in our city, masked ICE agents who are in our city, and these are the people enforcing this law on our young people,” said progressive Janeese Lewis George, who currently represents the city’s Ward 4 and is leading the polls to succeed Mayor Muriel Bowser.
“And these are not individuals who are trained in de-escalation,” she continued. “They are not accountable to D.C. residents. In fact, D.C. residents have already been killed without any accountability because we don’t have accountability of those agencies.”
Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George joined parents, educators, and organizers at a SPACEs In Action and Blandi’s Childcare Center rally to demand funding for the Pay Equity Fund and childcare subsidies at the Blandis Childcare Center in Washington, D.C., on March 27, 2026. (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for SPACEs in Action)
She said that instead, the city should expand its youth programming.
Candidates Kenyan McDuffie, a former at-large and Ward 5 councilman, and Gary Goodweather, a real estate developer, along with George, explicitly pledged not to use Metro Police resources to support Pirro’s plans.
Currently, Pirro enjoys the support of Bowser in her effort to crack down on violent teen takeovers in the city.
Later in her “Fox & Friends” appearance, Pirro explained just how many tools are at her disposal to handle D.C.’s epidemic of youth violence.
WATCH: Wild brawl erupts in D.C. Chipotle amid ongoing efforts to stop juvenile crime
“I can do it through truancy in schools and working with the chancellor of the schools,” she said. “I can do it through the family court. I have talked to the local attorney general, who has indicated that he will work with us. I can get it through the courts — persons in need of supervision. Who are their parents? If there [is] already a court order requiring that they follow fundamental rules from the family court.”
“I’ve got a lot of opportunities to go after these parents, and no one is going to stop me from doing that.”
Fox News Digital reached out to George, McDuffie and Goodweather.