DC Cracking Down on ‘Teen Takeovers,’ Will Begin Prosecuting Parents

‘These are not kids being kids. This is criminal conduct,’ U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro speaks during a press conference about the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting, at the Justice Department in Washington on April 27, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is cracking down on the nationwide phenomenon of “teen takeovers,” which are often violent and chaotic, as the office renewed its vow on Monday to begin prosecuting parents of unruly adolescents after a recent bout of these gatherings in Washington.

Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, warned parents at a Monday press conference that they could be held liable for their children’s actions following another takeover this past weekend at a Chipotle in Washington’s Navy Yard neighborhood.