Imagine walking a friend to her car in the dead of night, only to be ambushed by a mob of shouting teens in Washington, D.C. That’s the chilling reality Edward Coristine, a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer, faced in the early hours of August 3, 2025, in the Logan Circle neighborhood.
In a case that’s sparked outrage, two 15-year-olds, a boy and a girl, involved in the brutal assault on Coristine, have been handed probation sentences with no jail time after pleading guilty in juvenile court, as Fox News reports.
The incident unfolded around 3 a.m. as Coristine was escorting a female friend to her vehicle, a simple act of courtesy that turned violent.
According to Coristine’s account on Fox News Channel with host Jesse Watters, trouble brewed fast when a group of about 10 individuals across the street began yelling at them.
“I was walking one of my friends back to her car, and as we're walking to the car, there's a group of 10 guys right across the street. They start shouting at us,” Coristine recalled, painting a picture of escalating tension.
“And really quickly, I knew something was really off about the situation,” he added, a gut feeling that proved tragically correct when the situation turned physical.
Coristine described the attack’s ferocity, noting how the group closed in. “They're just a few feet away and they slammed me against the car. They started throwing a bunch of punches,” he recounted on Fox News Channel.
Thankfully, the ordeal didn’t drag on, as he managed to protect himself somewhat by keeping his hands up. Still, the incident left scars—both physical and professional, as Coristine later resigned from his DOGE position, a decision confirmed by a White House official.
The aftermath saw charges filed against two of the involved teens, with the boy admitting guilt to felony assault, simple assault, robbery, and attempted robbery, while the girl pleaded guilty to simple assault, per WUSA reports.
In a juvenile court ruling that’s raised eyebrows, the boy received 12 months of probation, and the girl got 9 months, sentences handed down on the same day with a victim—likely Coristine—present in court.
The judge, defending the light touch, declared, “The juvenile court's purpose isn't to punish, but rather to rehabilitate,” a sentiment that might sound noble but feels hollow to those craving accountability. One wonders if rehabilitation can truly stick when the consequences seem more like a wrist slap than a wake-up call.
The judge doubled down, saying, “I hope the teens will use the probationary period as a learning experience,” but skeptics might ask if a few months of check-ins can undo the impulse to ambush innocent bystanders.
In court, a victim, presumably Coristine, addressed the teens directly with a mix of grace and gravity, stating, “I hope you can figure things out and be ready for the consequences.” It’s a measured response from someone who’s endured a terrifying ordeal, showing more restraint than many might muster.
This case isn’t just about one attack; it’s a flashpoint for broader concerns about juvenile crime in urban centers like D.C., where leniency often seems to trump justice. President Donald Trump weighed in on Truth Social, decrying how young offenders “are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent citizens,” knowing they’ll likely face minimal repercussions—a frustration many law-abiding citizens share.
