Two teenagers were arrested in connection to the attempted carjacking of a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer known as “Big Balls.”
Authorities said the 15-year-old suspects, who were charged with unarmed carjacking, were among several teens who allegedly approached the victim, Edward Coristine, and a woman police identified as his significant other near a car at approximately 3 a.m. Sunday in Washington’s Logan Circle neighborhood.
The group allegedly made comments about taking the car, before Coristine pushed his significant other into the vehicle for safety and prepared to confront the group, according to police.
Law enforcement officials said Coristine turned to face the teenagers, and several of them attacked him until police patrolling the area intervened. The group fled on foot when police approached, authorities said.
Coristine, a 19-year-old software engineer, was among the most visible figures associated with President Trump’s DOGE effort, aimed at slashing government spending and eliminating waste in the federal bureaucracy.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who was the chief adviser of DOGE before his special employee period lapsed last May, confirmed the attack on a post on the social platform X, which he owns.
“A few days ago, a gang of about a dozen young men tried to assault a woman in her car at night in DC,” Musk said in the post. “A @Doge team member saw what was happening, ran to defend her and was severely beaten to the point of concussion, but he saved her.”
The attack has given new fuel to the president, who has frequently threatened to take control of the nation’s capital throughout his second term.
Trump on Tuesday called for the District of Columbia to change its laws to allow for teenagers 14 and older to be prosecuted as adults and face lengthy prison sentences.
He shared on Truth Social a graphic image of the bloodied former DOGE employee, but did not name Coristine, and included a lengthy message attacking violent crime in Washington. Trump blamed the city’s crime on local “youths,” who he said were not fearful of consequences.
“They are not afraid of Law Enforcement because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it’s going to happen now!” the president wrote. “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. The most recent victim was beaten mercilessly by local thugs.”
“Washington, D.C., must be safe, clean, and beautiful for all Americans and, importantly, for the World to see,” Trump added. “If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they’re not going to get away with it anymore.”
Crime in D.C. was down 35 percent in 2024 from the previous year, marking a 30-year low. Data from the district show violent crime is also down so far in 2025 compared with the previous year.
The Associated Press contributed.
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