U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said the FBI is joining the effort to track down the juveniles responsible for a melee that erupted inside a Navy Yard Chipotle and went viral over the weekend.
Ms. Pirro said she asked the FBI to help investigate in order to get a handle on the youth crime that she said remains a glaring issue in the city.
“What happened this past Saturday night at Chipotle in the Navy Yard, and what we’re seeing increasingly across the District is not only unacceptable, it is violent, it is dangerous, and it is illegal,” Ms. Pirro said at a Monday press conference.
Metropolitan Police said the fight exploded around 8:40 p.m. Saturday in the 1200 block of First Street Southeast.
Videos of the free-for-fall showed several black-clad juveniles throwing punches and hurling chairs at each other while restaurant goers and employees cowered on the perimeter.
While the Metropolitan Police is still leading the investigation, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Washington Field Office Darren Cox said his agency is dedicating resources to tracking down the youths responsible and charging them when appropriate.
“If the subjects are 18 or older, they are considered adults in the eyes of the law, and any federal crime that they commit will be investigated and referred to the U.S. Attorney’s Office here in D.C. for full and aggressive prosecution,” Mr.Cox said.
Ms. Pirro also called on the D.C. Council to renew its temporary juvenile curfew, which allows police to break up large gatherings of juveniles earlier in the night as opposed to waiting for the midnight curfew to kick in on weekends.
She reupped her threat about charging parents as well for their children’s disorderly behavior, saying that “they are responsible for the upheaval that is going on in this District that is impacting everyone who lives here.”
Ms. Pirro said parents could face fines, court orders or potentially six months in jail if they are convicted of allowing their child to take part in illegal acts.
