Judge orders teens charged in DOGE staffer attack in DC to remain in youth custody

A Washington, D.C., judge has ordered the two teens charged in the attack on a former Department of Government Efficiency staffer to remain in the city's juvenile detention center, rejecting requests for less restrictive detention.

The boy and girl, each 15, were charged in the Aug. 3 attack on Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old, as they were allegedly trying to carjack a vehicle in Northwest D.C. The attack was followed by President Trump announcing that he plans to take over the D.C. police and deploy the National Guard.

The two teens, who are from Maryland, appeared Monday in front of Judge Kendra D. Briggs in a hearing in D.C. Superior Court, The Washington Post reported.

The lawyer for the girl said that the teen has not been rearrested and asked Briggs to reduce her level of detention. The attorney argued that her client was “in the vicinity” of the attack but that there isn’t compelling evidence that she was involved.

However, prosecutors said that the girl is a danger to the community and a flight risk. She also has a pending matter in Maryland, details of which were not provided.

Briggs said that the girl has had “major truancy issues” and, at one point, had been missing from home for a few months.

The attorney for the boy requested he be transferred to a shelter house where he would be monitored. The lawyer noted that this was the teen’s “first contact” with the juvenile justice system.

The teens are being held at the Youth Services Center in D.C., which holds young offenders for their court hearings as they await placement in rehabilitation centers.

U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro said Monday that the city protects violent youths from consequences.

“They go to family court, and they get to do yoga and arts and crafts,” Pirro said. “Enough. It changes today.”