Pirro: FBI now involved in probe to find culprits behind teen takeover brawl at DC Chipotle
Brawlers 'felt like they could get away with it. Well, they're not going to get away with it,' Pirro said.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said the FBI is now involved in the investigation to find the culprits in a teen takeover brawl over the weekend at a Washington, D.C., Chipotle restaurant — and Pirro blasted the brawlers' parents, WJLA-TV reported.
"This kind of thing is destroying the quality of life in the District," Pirro said at a news conference Monday, the station reported. "Residents are finding it extremely difficult to enjoy public parks and spaces, as well as waterfront areas. The residents are starting to feel like these out-of-control teens are taking away their happiness and their quiet enjoyment."
'It was like an ambush. They looked like ninjas, dressed in black, with ski masks, and they just piled into the main eatery.'
What's more, Saturday night's teen takeover brawl occurred just one day after Pirro promised a crackdown on juvenile crime in the District of Columbia by holding parents responsible.
"These teens, they need to find something productive to do," Pirro said, according to WJLA. "Parents, that's your job."
The Metropolitan Police Department said the incident began as a shouting match between two groups of youths and then escalated into a brawl, the station reported.
"It was not just violence occurring between individuals. It was simply destruction of property," Pirro said, according to WJLA. "It was a takeover of a restaurant by individuals who felt like they could get away with it. Well, they're not going to get away with it."
Pirro said she intends to "aggressively" prosecute the teens involved as well as their parents, the station noted.
"If you know where your teen is and what they are doing and allow them to continue their conduct and continue to allow them to flourish, we’re going to prosecute you," Pirro stated, WJLA reported.
However, Pirro also said she needs D.C. Public Schools to help by giving her access to truancy records, the station noted.
She also said the Metropolitan Police Department and the Office of the Attorney General of D.C. are in place to assist with the prosecution of parents, WJLA reported.
In addition, Pirro implored the D.C. Council to reinstate a discretionary curfew so police can track and stop teen takeovers before they happen, the station said.
"We are in the most important city in the nation," Pirro added, according to WJLA. "This is the nation's capital. This is where the nation's 250 anniversary will take place on July. This is where we have to make people proud of that city on the hill, and unless we come together and do this together, it will not happen."
The station said video recorded inside the Chipotle during the brawl shows a man in a red shirt trying to protect his children. WJLA said it spoke to that man — Rafael Jauregui — on Monday, and he shared that he took his seven children to the Nationals-Orioles baseball game Saturday — and then to dinner at Chipotle.
Jauregui's five youngest kids — who range in age from 4 to 14 years old — were with him inside Chipotle when a brawl erupted, the station said.
"At that point, I tell the children, 'Get with me, get up, let's start backing up,'" the dad told WJLA. "And then it was like an ambush. They looked like ninjas, dressed in black, with ski masks, and they just piled into the main eatery."
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Jauregui said he and the kids were backed into a corner. As an Air Force veteran, he said his military training kicked in, and he looked to see if any of the teens were armed with guns or knives, but didn't see any. Instead they lifted high chairs and other chairs and smashed them over each other while fighting. Rafael says he decided to protect the space around his kids, and not to allow any of the fighting teens to get too close.
He said he's proud that his two sons who were with him shielded their three younger sisters. But at the same time, he says his kids never should have had to witness what happened.
"My son said on the way home, 'Papa, I can't unsee that,'" Jauregui recounted to WJLA. "Those individuals have now directly impacted my security, my life. My children are now talking about [how they never] want to go to Chipotle again. Or at least not that one."
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Jauregui added to the station that he supports Pirro's plan to crack down and charge parents in some cases.
“[I'm] in line with what the U.S. Attorney is trying to do, saying, 'Hey, listen, this is not just teenagers messing around, this is next level.' Where a dad can't bring ... kids to a Nats' game and grab a bite after," he noted to WJLA.
Laurie Schalow, Chipotle's chief corporate affairs officer, told the station in a statement that "the health and safety of our employees and our guests is our highest priority. We have zero tolerance for guests who behave recklessly in our restaurants and put others at risk. No team members or guests were physically injured, and we are actively supporting local law enforcement in their investigation of the incident."
Pirro said during a news conference on Friday that "parental involvement has been a noted gap in any discussion [about teen takeovers]. That ends today," WJLA said.
Pirro told the station her office immediately would begin "aggressively prosecuting parents," and that she would be going after them specifically for "contributing to the delinquency of a minor," which she said is covered by D.C.'s curfew law.
"This statute makes it unlawful for an adult to enable, facilitate, or permit a minor to engage in delinquent acts," Pirro noted to WJLA. "The penalty is up to six months imprisonment."
She also said parents could face fines and mandatory classes in addition to jail time, the station said. Pirro also said parents could be charged even if their children involved in a takeover aren't prosecuted, WJLA reported.
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