Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) announced that she was enacting a “limited juvenile curfew” for the city, that would be in effect until November 5, due to “weeks of disorderly juvenile behavior.”
In a post on X, Bowser explained that the juvenile curfew, which will apply to individuals 18-years-old or younger, will be in effect from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. until November 5. Bowser’s announcement came after hundreds of teenagers in the Navy Yard neighborhood of the District of Columbia were involved in an altercation on Friday and were seen blocking the streets.
“We are declaring a limited juvenile curfew in Washington, DC,” Bowser said. “Effective immediately, all juveniles under the age of 18 are subject to a curfew from 11PM until 6AM, which will extend through 11/5.”
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) explained that minors started gathering near the Navy Yard Metro Station around 7:30 p.m., and that half an hour later there were “several hundred people,” Fox5DC reported. The MPD also said the gathering of teenagers “began peacefully but quickly escalated as fights broke out and groups started disrupting traffic.”:
Police said the gathering began peacefully but quickly escalated as fights broke out and groups started disrupting traffic and refusing orders to stay on the sidewalks. Additional MPD officers and partner agencies — including the Metro Transit Police, U.S. Capitol Police, the National Guard and members of a Federal Task Force — responded to help restore order.
Around 11 p.m., officers had reportedly cleared the park and directed many juveniles toward the Metro station. MPD maintained a heavy presence overnight to prevent further disturbances.
Four teenagers from the District of Columbia and an 18-year-old from Maryland were arrested as a result of the incident, the MPD said.
In a post on X, the MPD explained that as a result of Bowser’s order enacting a juvenile order, locations such as the U Street Corridor, Banneker Recreation Center, Navy Yard, and Union Station would see the juvenile curfew go into effect this evening.
In a press release, MPD Chief of Police Pamela A. Smith expressed that the “behavior displayed last night in Navy Yard is unacceptable,” adding that MPD’s “law enforcement partners” would have an increased presence order to prevent another similar incident from occurring.
“The behavior displayed last night in Navy Yard is unacceptable, and MPD and our law enforcement partners will have an increased presence tonight to ensure this does not happen again,” Smith said. “This group chose not to visit any of the events hosted by MPD or our DC agency partners and instead gathered in this manner.”
