A 15-year-old boy pleaded guilty in the attack on a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employee that President Donald Trump decried days before federalizing D.C.’s police department and calling on governors to send National Guard troops.
The teen pleaded guilty in D.C. juvenile court on Wednesday to felony assault, simple assault, robbery and attempted robbery.
The teen and a 15-year-old girl, both from Hyattsville, Maryland, demanded a car in the 1400 block of Swann Street NW at about 3 a.m. Aug. 3, police said. Two people who were assaulted were treated on the scene and not hospitalized, police said.
In a Truth Social post on Aug. 5, Trump said “somebody from DOGE was very badly hurt last night” and shared a photo of a bloodied, shirtless young man slumped on a sidewalk. The victim was Edward Coristine, police said. Coristine, known by the nickname Big Balls, is a prominent Elon Musk protégé and early DOGE hire.
As Trump elevated the case, he threatened to take over the Metropolitan Police Department to stop crime. Eight days after the crime, the president federalized the police department in a historic seizure of local control of D.C.
D.C.’s juvenile justice facilities face scrutiny from families and civil rights attorneys. As the News4 I-Team recently reported, a former guard at D.C.’s Youth Services Center, the District’s juvenile jail, was convicted last month of repeatedly sexually abusing a 17-year-old girl who was held there. Attorneys believe there are more victims of violence and abuse inside city facilities for youth.
In response to a lawsuit, D.C.’s Department of Youth and Rehabilitation Services said it “takes the safety of every youth in our care seriously and holds all employees accountable to the highest standards of conduct.”
The 15-year-old boy’s guilty plea comes as new U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro promises to crack down on youth who commit crimes.
The teen is set to be sentenced late next month. His alleged accomplice is due in juvenile court early next month.
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