Edward Coristine, the Rye Country Day School ’24 graduate and former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team member who goes by the self declared nickname name “Big Balls” was assaulted during a carjacking in the early hours of Sunday, August 3, 2025 in the Logan Circle Area of Washington, DC according to multiple reports. In the wake of the attack, President Donald Trump threatened late Tuesday afternoon on social media to federalize Washington DC, stating crime was out of control.
The DC Metropolitan Police Department arrested a 15-year-old juvenile male and a 15-year-old juvenile female and charged them with unarmed carjacking. The remaining ten juveniles fled the scene. The police said “The suspects demanded the victim’s vehicle and then assaulted one of the victims. During the assault, an MPD cruiser pulled into the block causing the suspects to flee. Two of the suspects were apprehended by the on-scene officers. One of the victims was treated on scene by DC Fire and EMS for injuries sustained in the assault.” According to reports, Coristine was with a woman identified as his significant other.
“The most recent victim was beaten mercilessly by local thugs,” said President Trump on Truth Social at 4:13pm on Tuesday. “Washington, D.C., must be safe, clean, and beautiful for all Americans and, importantly, for the World to see. If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they’re not going to get away with it anymore. “
Elon Musk piled on 44 minutes later on his X platform, re-tweeting Trump and saying “A few days ago, a gang of about a dozen young men tried to assault a woman in her car at night in DC. A @Doge team member saw what was happening, ran to defend her and was severely beaten to the point of concussion, but he saved her. It is time to federalize DC.”
Just before Trump posted, United States attorney for the District of Columbia and former Westchester District Attorney Jeanine Pirro posted a video message referring to the incident (see the video below).
In June, Big Balls took a job as a special government employee with the Social Security Administration. He has been one of the higher profile DOGE employees and his nickname has landed him attention on Saturday Night Live and Jesse Watters Primetime.
President Trump wants me to relay a message to you about crimes in the nation’s capital pic.twitter.com/zvT5YqpaAC
— Jeanine Pirro (@JudgeJeanine) August 5, 2025
