Trump’s ‘no-nonsense’ DC crackdown tops 10k arrests as DOJ declares era of ‘unchecked violence is over’
EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump's Make D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force has made more than 10,000 arrests since it launched in August 2025, and recovered more than 1,000 illegal firearms from the streets of the nation's capital, Fox News Digital has learned.
"President Trump’s federal surge in Washington, D.C. has saved lives and helped restore our Nation’s beautiful capital city for all Americans to enjoy," Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a comment to Fox News Digital. "Thanks to the brave work of Gady Serralta’s Marshals, our other DOJ components, and our great federal partners, we have proven that tolerating crime is a policy choice — we choose public safety."
As of Thursday morning, the task force has carried out 10,018 arrests and recovered 1,036 illegal firearms, Fox News Digital has learned.
Officials with the Metropolitan Police Department, as well as the National Guard and personnel from federal agencies such as the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Capitol Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, have taken to the streets of D.C. to conduct sweeps and root out crime since August 2025 as part of Trump's crackdown on rampant crime.
Trump signed the Making the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful executive order in March 2025, which established a task force. U.S. Marshals Service Director Gadyaces S. Serralta leads the law enforcement partnership of the task force that brings together 3,100 personnel from 28 agencies to carry out the crime crackdown in the city.
Trump took a hard line against a spate of high-profile attacks and killings that unfolded in the city earlier in 2025, which followed the District reeling from sky-high crime trends from the COVID-19 pandemic era, including a disturbing wave of young adults carrying out violent crimes such as armed carjackings.
Now, crime has fallen as the administration champions Trump's law and order crackdown.
All in, murders in the district have fallen by 68% compared to the same time period in 2025, robberies by 47%, sexual abuse down by 64%, and violent crime across the board is down by 31%, according to data provided to Fox News Digital.
The task force notably recovered or located 19 missing children amid the crackdown.
The "era of unchecked violence is over," U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"President Trump’s decisive no-nonsense strategy to restore law and order, the federal surge of law enforcement resources, combined with aggressive prosecution of violent offenders, is delivering real, measurable results," Pirro said. "I came here to fight street crime in the nation’s capital and since then homicides have fallen to historic lows, and violent crime has dropped dramatically. Those who prey on our communities are being arrested, prosecuted, and convicted."
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The task force's arrests include 28 for homicide, 1,693 for narcotics, 874 for weapons offenses, 34 for sex offenses and arrests of 52 known gang members.
Democrats, such as Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin and Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, blasted Trump’s August 2025 federalization of the D.C. police and the multiagency task force crackdown as an attack on D.C. self-governance. Van Hollen, for example, called it an "abuse of power" and a "raw power grab," while Raskin argued it was part of a broader plan to "militarize and federalize" cities that voted against Trump.
Among top arrests include nabbing a trio of teenagers who allegedly shot and killed 21-year-old congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym in June 2025. Tarpinian-Jachym was shot while walking near the D.C. Convention Center when he was hit by a bullet not intended for him, according to investigators.
His shocking death served as a catalyst ahead of Trump's crime crackdown.
Another pair of teenagers, Laurence Cotton-Powell, 19, and Anthony Taylor, 18, were arrested in October 2025 for the alleged attempted carjacking, robbery and beating of a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer in August 2025.
Task force leader Serralta said in a statement to Fox News Digital that the 10,000th arrest marks a "monumental achievement."
"By removing 1,000 illicit firearms from D.C. streets and making 10,000 arrests, we have achieved unprecedented results, not just for the Task Force, but for all the residents, commuters, students, and visitors to Washington, D.C.," Serralta said. "But rest assured, our work is not done. Washington, D.C is the beating heart of our great Nation, and we will not stop until we fulfill President Trump’s promise to make its communities safe again."
Other arrests include the apprehension of Alvin Young, 47, who was charged with first-degree murder while armed following a fatal shooting in March 2022. There also was the December 2025 arrest of a man named Christopher Watts, who had a warrant out of Florida for cruelty toward a child, promoting sexual performance and solicitation of a child via computer, Fox News Digital learned.
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Another man, Richard Brown, was arrested earlier in February for a lengthy list of alleged offenses, including possession of a machine gun, carrying a pistol without a license, possession of an unregistered firearm and ammunition, possession of a large-capacity feeding device, unauthorized use of a vehicle, two counts of receiving stolen property, unlawful entry of a vehicle, fleeing from a law enforcement officer in a vehicle and reckless driving, Fox News Digital learned. Brown fled task force members during a routine traffic stop, drove to Maryland while being pursued and jumped out of his car before he was ultimately nabbed by officials, according to details on the task force.
Removing 1,000 guns from the violent offenders "is not symbolic, it is decisive action to restore law and order in our nation’s capital," Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Deputy Director Rob Cekada told Fox News Digital.
"President Trump made it clear that Washington, D.C. will not be surrendered to criminals, and ATF is fully committed to relentlessly pursuing those who traffic, possess, and use illegal firearms," Cekada said. "10,000 arrests are just the beginning. We will continue to dismantle violent networks and ensure the safety of everyone who lives, works, and visits here."