A former Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) employee nicknamed “Big Balls” was reportedly badly beaten in an attempted carjacking.
Edward Coristine was left bloodied by the attack in Washington, DC, early on Sunday morning, when he is said to have been set upon by “thugs” after trying to protect a young woman.
Donald Trump, the US president, called Mr Coristine an “incredible man” and threatened to take federal control of the capital city unless its council tackled violent crime.
Mr Coristine came to prominence earlier this year following reports of his alleged connection to cybercrime groups, raising concerns about his access to sensitive data held by the US government. He has not commented on the allegations.
His nickname, “Big Balls”, comes from a name the teenager used on his social media and LinkedIn profiles.
The 19-year-old, who previously had an account on X called @edwardbigballer, had been hand-picked to work for Doge after interning at Neuralink, Mr Musk’s brain chip company.
Marko Elez, a fellow Doge staffer, claimed on social media that Mr Coristine had been attacked at an area in north-west Washington.
“My friend Big Balls… is a hero,” he wrote on X.
“Edward protected a young woman from an attempted carjacking by eight thugs near Dupont Circle. Violence like this in the heart of DC is completely unacceptable.”
Mr Elez, who was briefly sacked from Doge over a racist social media comment before being rehired, included a picture he said was of Mr Coristine.
It showed a shirtless man, who resembles the 19-year-old, slumped on the ground, with blood covering his face and chest and staining his white trousers.
Donald Trump also shared the photograph on social media
Sources confirmed to the Washington Post that Mr Coristine, who is now a senior adviser at the State Department and Department of Homeland Security, had been injured after intervening in an attempted carjacking on Sunday.
Mr Trump posted the photograph on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, declaring that crime in Washington was “totally out of control” and saying 14-year-olds should be prosecuted as adults.
“The most recent victim was beaten mercilessly by local thugs. Washington, DC, must be safe, clean and beautiful for all Americans and, importantly, for the World to see,” he said.
“If DC doesn’t get its act together, and quickly we will have no choice but to take federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they’re not going to get away with it anymore.
“Perhaps this should have been done a long time ago, then this incredible young man, and so many others, would not have had to go through the horrors of Violent Crime.”
The US president added: “If this continues, I am going to exert my powers, and FEDERALISE this city.”
Teenager Edward Coristine was picked to work at Doge after interning at Elon Musk’s Neuralink
Mr Musk, the head of Doge before his relationship with Mr Trump imploded earlier this year, echoed the president’s call to put Washington under federal control.
He did not name Mr Coristine but said a “Doge team member” ran to help a young woman whom “a gang of about a dozen young men” were attempting to assault in her car.
He “ran to defend her and was severely beaten to the point of concussion, but he saved her”, Mr Musk continued.
