Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has announced a citywide curfew for anyone under the age of 18 beginning Saturday night in response to weeks of ongoing violence and unrest.
The move comes just a few months after President Trump mobilized thousands of National Guard troops who were deployed to the nation’s capital to combat what he described as a “crisis” of crime.
Bowser’s order which runs through Nov. 5 allows police to set up so-called “special zones”, or high risk areas where law enforcement can enforce curfews as early as 6 p.m.
Four of the zones will go into effect on Saturday. They include Banneker Recreation Center, Union Station, Navy Yard and the U Street Corridor.
The limited curfew goes into effect Saturday at 11 p.m. local time and ends at 6 a.m.
Any minor or juvenile who violates the curfew will face a fine of up to $300 or up to 10 days in jail, according to authorities.
DC police have also been authorized by the mayor to set up temporary curfew zones in areas where more than eight minors congregate, posing a potentially heightened threat to public safety.
The curfew was announced following a violent clash involving scores of teens on Halloween night at the Navy Yard, where at least 10 people, including one 18-year-old and four minors, were booked on charges including public marijuana use, affray and failure to obey.
One police officer was treated for injuries at the scene, according to officials.
Several social media users posted video and images showing massive unrest in the district on Halloween night.
One video on X shows what looks like National Guard troops dressed in brown fatigues running through a crowd of young people in a park on Friday night.
Several police cruisers were seen in the video stretched across M Street SE, parts of which were closed due to the heightened presence of law enforcement.
The gathering, which started at around 7:30 p.m. on Friday, began peacefully, according to police. But events spun out of control as “several hundred juveniles” began flowing into the park, law enforcement officials said.
Police reported that some of the juveniles engaged in fights and “disrupted the flow of traffic” as they ignored warnings from cops.
A DC police sergeant who was knocked to the ground while attempting to restore order suffered minor injuries, according to the department.
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