Two teens charged in attack on former DOGE official Edward “Big Balls” Coristine

Two 15-year-olds have been charged with unarmed carjacking after allegedly attacking Edward “Big Balls” Coristine, the teenage software engineer and former Neuralink intern who became a prominent figure in the Trump administration’s cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

According to reports citing local authorities, Coristine — who left DOGE in June but returned to federal service at the Social Security Administration to help improve the agency’s website, a spokesman recently told WIRED — was with his girlfriend around 3 a.m. Sunday in Washington’s Logan Circle when a circle of roughly 10 teens approached their car and made comments about taking it. He reportedly pushed his girlfriend into the car for her safety before confronting the group, who then attacked him until police drove up to the scene.

On Tuesday, Musk praised Coristine for his bravery on his social media platform, X. President Trump separately shared a graphic image of a battered Coristine on Truth Social, using the assault to call for prosecuting teens as young as 14 as adults.