56% of DC carjacking arrests are of minors aged 12 and over

Washington, DC, crime data has revealed that more than half of those arrested for carjackings in the past two years were minors—many just 15 or 16 years old. The trend has raised alarm at the federal level, with President Trump calling for tougher penalties on juvenile offenders and warning of a possible federal takeover of the District.

Police records from the Metropolitan Police Department show that since August 2023, 333 suspects have been arrested for carjackings, and 56 percent were under 18. Of those juveniles, most were between the ages of 15 and 16, with some as young as 12, reports the New York Post.

The spike in youth crime comes amid a broader rise in vehicle-related crime. Over the last two years, DC reported 1,046 carjackings and 72 percent of those involved a firearm. By comparison, motor vehicle thefts where the owner is not present remained nearly unchanged, with 2,847 cases reported since August 6, 2024, compared to 2,844 during the same period last year.

The issue has come into the national conversation after 19-year-old Edward Coristine, known as "Big Balls," a former staffer with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), was attacked by a group of 10 juveniles while trying to prevent a carjacking on Sunday morning. Two 15-year-olds, a boy and a girl, have been arrested in connection with the assault so far.

President Trump responded to the incident in a post on Truth Social: “Crime in Washington, D.C., is totally out of control. Local ‘youths’ and gang members, some only 14, 15, and 16-year-olds, are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent Citizens, at the same time knowing that they will be almost immediately released.”

“The law in D.C. must be changed to prosecute these ‘minors’ as adults, and lock them up for a long time, starting at age 14... If the D.C. leaders do not clean up their capital city, I will do whatever is necessary to protect our nation’s capital, even if it means taking federal control of the City.”

DC’s Attorney General Brian Schwalb has previously pushed back on such proposals. In a 2023 interview with Fox 5, he said, “kids are kids,” and talked about the importance of giving teenagers “a chance of rehabilitation and going on to live lives of success and independence.” 

In a response to the Coristine case, Schwalb called the attack “horrific and disturbing.” He said, “I cannot comment on specific cases, but know that when MPD brings us cases with sufficient evidence of juveniles who have broken the law and hurt people, we will prosecute them and ensure they face consequences for their actions.”

His office reports it prosecuted over 90 percent of homicide and attempted homicide cases in 2024, along with 87.1 percent of carjacking cases and more than 88 percent of violent assaults.

While the DC Attorney General’s office handles most local prosecutions, felony cases involving juveniles charged as adults are prosecuted by the US Attorney’s Office. That office, under the previous Biden-appointed US Attorney Matthew Graves, was criticized for low prosecution rates during his tenure.

Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office has enacted curfews for minors, including an 11 pm citywide curfew for those under 18 through the end of August, and even earlier curfews of 7 pm in some neighborhoods.