2 teens arrested, guns recovered after Navy Yard teen gathering erupts into chaos

WASHINGTON - A teen meet‑up at the Navy Yard turned into chaos over the weekend, prompting D.C. police to urge parents to step in as large youth gatherings continue to escalate.

FOX 5’s Stephanie Ramirez reports the incident involved several violent encounters, though no one was seriously hurt.

Police said a 15‑year‑old fired a gun into the air before being stopped by members of the National Guard.  In another incident, a child was robbed of their shoes and jacket. A separate victim was assaulted, robbed and taken to the hospital.

A 16‑year‑old was also taken into custody after Secret Service officers stopped a rideshare vehicle and saw the teen try to ditch a gun inside the car.

Police said groups of teens began gathering in the park near the Navy Yard Metro station around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, and within about two hours the crowd had grown to roughly 200 people.

Ramirez says that D.C. leaders updated juvenile curfew laws last year in an effort to curb these large gatherings, an issue officials say has been growing since the pandemic. 

Two weekends ago, Navy Yard was designated as one of the city’s Juvenile Curfew Zones, which limit the number of teens allowed in public spaces between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. before the citywide curfew begins. The area was not designated as a curfew zone this past weekend.

The night ended with two teens arrested and two guns recovered, and despite the violence, police said fortunately no one was seriously injured.