19-year-old federal employee ‘Big Balls’ assaulted in DC; Trump, Musk condemn attack

A bloodied photo of Coristine, shirtless with visible injuries, was posted online by former colleague Marko Elez.

A 19-year-old federal employee, also popular online as “Big Balls” and identified as Edward Coristine, was reportedly assaulted early Sunday morning near Dupont Circle by a group of juveniles.

According to a Metropolitan Police Department report, Coristine was with a woman, described as his significant other, when around 10 juveniles surrounded their car around 3 a.m, states the Politico.

The group, states the report, allegedly made remarks about taking the vehicle.

Coristine had managed to get the woman into the car before he was attacked. During the incident, his iPhone 16, worth $1,000, was reportedly stolen.

Following this, police have arrested two 15-year-olds, one male and one female, from Hyattsville, Maryland, as they fled the scene. Both have been charged with unarmed carjacking.

A bloodied photo of Coristine, shirtless with visible injuries, was posted online by former colleague Marko Elez. “My friend Big Balls is a hero. He protected a young woman from an attempted carjacking by eight thugs near Dupont Circle,” Elez wrote on microblogging site X. “Violence like this in the heart of D.C. is completely unacceptable.”

My friend Big Balls (@as400495) is a hero. I took this photo after Edward protected a young woman from an attempted carjacking by 8 thugs near Dupont Circle. Violence like this in the heart of DC is completely unacceptable. https://t.co/ELShlkXYaS

— Marko Elez (@marko_elez) August 5, 2025

Hours later, the image was reshared by President Donald Trump on his platform, Truth Social. He did not, however, name Coristine in his post.

Trump strongly condemned the attack, reiterating his call for tougher laws to prosecute juveniles as adults in violent crime cases.

“This incredible young man, and so many others, would not have had to go through the horrors of violent crime,” Trump wrote. “Crime is out of control in D.C.”

Furthermore, Elon Musk, who previously headed the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), also confirmed the incident, stating that a DOGE team member was “severely beaten to the point of concussion” while stopping an attempted assault. “He saved her,” Musk posted on X.

A few days ago, a gang of about a dozen young men tried to assault a woman in her car at night in DC. A @Doge team member saw what was happening, ran to defend her and was severely beaten to the point of concussion, but he saved her. It is time to federalize DC. pic.twitter.com/RPHKj7J3ti — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 5, 2025

Coristine, now employed at the Social Security Administration, has served in various roles under Musk’s DOGE initiative, including involvement in efforts to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development. He has also worked within federal cybersecurity and transportation agencies, and played a part in the controversial “Gold Cards” visa program.

Recently, he began serving as a Senior Advisor at the General Services Administration (GSA) at the GS-15 pay grade.

Prior to joining DOGE, Coristine also had brief stints with Musk’s Neuralin venture and his father’s company, LesserEvil. He also launched a domain management firm called Tesal.Sexy.

He was previously removed from the cybersecurity firm Path Network for allegedly leaking proprietary data.

Coristine’s online alias, “Big Balls,” originated from a humorous note given to him by a high school friend.