Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser has imposed a four-night citywide curfew for residents under the age of 18, effective immediately, in response to a surge of youth-related violence and disorder that has gripped the nation’s capital in recent weeks.

The emergency order comes after a series of chaotic incidents — most recently a massive, unruly gathering in the Navy Yard neighborhood on Friday night — that city officials said posed a serious threat to public safety and required swift action.

“All juveniles under the age of 18 are subject to a curfew from 11pm until 6am, which will extend through November 5,” the mayor said in social media posts on Saturday. “This is in response to several weeks of disorderly juvenile behavior which endangered both themselves and others.”

According to a statement from the mayor’s office, the curfew will remain in effect citywide each night through Wednesday.

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has been authorized to create designated “special zones” — areas identified as high-risk for juvenile disturbances — where curfews could begin as early as 6 p.m. Officers will also have the authority to declare temporary curfew zones if groups of eight or more minors are found gathering in a way that endangers public safety or themselves.

The move represents one of the most far-reaching youth curfews enacted in Washington, D.C., in recent years and underscores growing alarm among city officials about rising juvenile crime, flash mobs, and group-related violence, the Daily Mail reported.

The teens were peaceful at first but as the night progressed the, “group began engaging in fights and disrupting the flow of traffic, repeatedly ignoring instructions to remain on the sidewalks.”

Dramatic video captured by a nearby resident showed teenagers sprinting through a park as police and National Guard members pursued them amid screams and chaos.

Authorities — including the D.C. Metropolitan Police, National Guard, Capitol Police, Metro Transit Police, and a federal task force — cordoned off streets in the Navy Yard area and worked for hours to disperse the crowd.

By 11 p.m., the scene had been cleared, and five individuals were taken into custody.

Eighteen-year-old Kaeden Brown was arrested for allegedly carrying a knife. Four minors, aged 14 to 16, were also arrested on various charges, including public marijuana use, disorderly conduct, and failure to obey police orders, the outlet noted.

Additional arrests were made by Metro Transit Police, according to D.C. authorities, though the exact number remains unclear. The Daily Mail has reached out to police officials for clarification, said the Daily Mail.

One officer was injured during the confrontation after being thrown to the ground, police said. He was treated at the scene by emergency medical personnel and is expected to recover.

National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., are now preparing for winter as leadership signals that their deployment could extend well into summer 2026.

According to emails filed in a new court document, Trump’s interim commanding general of the D.C. National Guard, General Leland Blanchard, instructed officers to “plan and prepare for a long-term persistent presence.”

In a message sent on September 17, 2025, to generals from other states, Blanchard said he had directed Guard units currently stationed in the District to “work quickly toward ‘wintering’ our formation,” indicating an extended mission in the nation’s capital.

While the current deployment of National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., is authorized through November 30, 2025, General Blanchard noted in his email that their presence could extend through “America 250,” the nation’s semiquincentennial celebration scheduled for the summer of 2026.

Although National Guard personnel are not permitted to make arrests directly, the Trump administration has credited their presence with contributing to a sharp drop in crime and a surge in law enforcement activity across the city.

Since the operation began on August 11, more than 2,000 arrests have been recorded — roughly 1,500 by the Metropolitan Police Department and the remainder by federal partners, including agents from ICE, CBP, the FBI, DEA, and ATF.