A violent crime wave in Washington, D.C. earlier this year has just led to the arrest of Laurence Cotton-Powell, 19, and Anthony Taylor, 18, last week. They are now charged with attempted carjacking, robbery, and assault after a brutal spree that shocked the capital, even amid prior leniency from an Obama-appointed jurist, as the Daily Mail reports.
Their rampage peaked in the early hours of Aug. 3, at 3 a.m. They savagely beat two men, including Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old former DOGE staffer known as “Big Balls,” in a horrifying attack.
Minutes before targeting Coristine, the duo, with a large unidentified group, assaulted another man at a gas station. Cotton-Powell reportedly stomped on Coristine’s head while Taylor joined in, showing no mercy to their victims.
During the assault, Coristine briefly fled but was chased, knocked down, and robbed of his watch and a shoe. Less than 10 minutes later, the group tried to carjack Coristine and his date, banging on the vehicle as she locked herself inside.
Both Cotton-Powell and Taylor confessed to authorities about their roles in the gas station incident and the attack on Coristine. Police captured images of them near the crime scene hours later, seemingly unrepentant.
Cotton-Powell’s history with the law reveals troubling leniency. Arrested for felony attempted robbery in April, he was released by D.C. Superior Court Judge Carmen McLean, appointed by former President Barack Obama.
In May, Cotton-Powell faced charges again for simple assault, yet avoided jail despite pleas from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s team. By July, just eight days before the Aug. 3 attack, he was placed on probation.
“Cotton-Powell was allowed to roam the streets in spite of a felony conviction in April, and then being rearrested while on probation in May, and then given probation again in spite of a violation of probation because judges are not considering the rights of victims and the harm to them,” said Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for D.C., in a statement to the Daily Mail.
While Pirro rightly highlights judicial failures, it’s clear D.C.’s soft-on-crime policies, like the Youth Rehabilitation Act for offenders under 25, prioritize rehabilitation over accountability. President Donald Trump’s push to lower the age for adult trials is a needed correction.
Last week, two 15-year-olds, a boy and a girl, were also arrested for joining the beating of Coristine. Charged and sentenced to probation, their light punishment further underscores the district’s troubling approach to juvenile crime.
“I think the judge should be ashamed of himself,” said Trump to reporters from the Oval Office, regarding the decision not to imprison the 15-year-olds involved in the beating.
President Trump’s frustration is shared by many who see D.C.’s judiciary as out of touch with victims’ plight. His decisive action to deploy the National Guard after viral images of Coristine’s bloodied state shows real leadership.
Since the National Guard arrived, local police report a notable decline in violent incidents across D.C. The Democrat-led city has even approved extending the troops’ presence until at least the end of November.
Interim D.C. National Guard Commander General Leland Blanchard, on Sept. 17, urged forces to prepare for a long-term stay, or “wintering” the formation. Plans are underway to potentially keep troops until late next year or even the summer of 2026 for America’s 250th birthday.
While D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb challenges the Guard’s presence in court, many residents welcome the added security. With crime stats improving, it’s hard to argue against President Trump’s strategy to restore order in the nation’s capital.
