The U.S. Attorney’s Office is cracking down on the nationwide phenomenon of “teen takeovers,” which are often violent and chaotic, as the office renewed its vow on Monday to begin prosecuting parents of unruly adolescents after a recent bout of these gatherings in Washington.

Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, warned parents at a Monday press conference that they could be held liable for their children’s actions following another takeover this past weekend at a Chipotle in Washington’s Navy Yard neighborhood.

“What we’re seeing increasingly across the District is not only unacceptable, it is violent, it is dangerous, and it is illegal,” Pirro said. “I am here to tell you it is going to stop.”

Video from Saturday night’s takeover of the Washington Chipotle showed several teenagers brawling inside the restaurant as bystanders stood clear.

Pirro accused the masked teens of destruction of property.

“These are not kids being kids. This is criminal conduct,” Pirro said.

Pirro warned that with summer approaching, crime increases, and students are let out of school. Just over the past weekend, she said law enforcement seized 32 guns from “kids, these teens,” who are becoming more emboldened.

The U.S. attorney said the minors engaging in these takeovers need to find something productive to do besides engage in illegal activities.

“Parents, that’s your job. That’s not our job,” Pirros said. “Basketball, baseball, boxing, tennis, ballet, cheerleading, kickball, track and field, and honestly parents, there’s a softer side to this. We don’t want your kids victimized either.”

Pirro’s statements came after a Department of Justice (DOJ) statement on May 15 and another press conference she hosted the same day, announcing expanded enforcement of existing Washington laws regarding parental responsibility when their minor children engage in illegal conduct. Adults could face up to six months in prison, according to the statement and Pirro’s May 15 and Monday press conferences.

“They are responsible for the upheaval that is going on in this district that is impacting everyone who lives here,” Pirro said.

Charges could be pursued against parents regardless of whether their juvenile child is prosecuted, the DOJ statement said.

The District of Columbia Council implemented a District-wide midnight curfew on May 5 for teenagers 17 years old and younger.

If a minor violates the curfew and it’s related to a takeover event, the U.S. Attorney’s Office will work alongside local law enforcement to pursue issuing fines for parents—$500 for each violation, Pirro said. Adults could also face court-ordered parenting classes or family counseling.

The Metropolitan Police Department provided Pirro with the names of teenagers who have already violated the youth curfew more than once or twice, she said at the Monday press conference, adding that those parents are already “on my list.”

In addition to these enforcement actions, Pirro said that prosecuted parents, not the American taxpayer, will foot the bill for destruction caused by takeover events.

Although a curfew already exists, Pirro asked Washington residents to call each city councilmember to demand they implement a “discretionary” curfew, to allow Mayor Muriel Bowser and the chief of police to make decisions on allowing or barring teenagers from certain areas based on current information.

“[Takeovers are] destroying the quality of life in the District,” Pirro said. “The city belongs to law-abiding residents, not roaming mobs looking to make a name for themselves or looking to contribute to the chaos or violence and to get social media attention.”

If a teen insists on getting social media attention, the U.S. attorney vowed she would ensure they get a criminal record as well.

The teen takeover at Chipotle came the same weekend as another large, violent gathering of hundreds of minors in downtown Detroit. According to local reports, a 14-year-old boy suffered a non-fatal gunshot wound, and two other teenagers were taken into custody.

The Detroit Police Department, on the night of the takeover on May 17, posted on X a reminder of the city’s youth curfew.