D.C. Man Indicted on 30 Counts in Domestic Violence Case

WASHINGTON - Tavante Robinson, 26, of Washington, D.C., was arraigned today by a D.C. Superior Court judge on a thirty-count indictment, for charges related to the kidnapping and assault of the mother of his children and other violent acts committed against her friend and other family members, between March 2025 and July 2026. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

"Tavante Robinson allegedly punched his own 4-year-old child, resulting in a black eye. He later kidnapped the child's mother and their children and set her friend's apartment door on fire," said U.S. Attorney Pirro. "Even with a protective order issued against him, the violence continued. This behavior has no place in our community, and my office will continue to prosecute anyone who does harm and instills fear in our community."

Robinson was indicted for first-degree cruelty to children, kidnapping, robbery, arson, stalking, assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, possession and use of a Molotov cocktail, obstructing justice, and various additional counts related to threats, assaultive conduct, and contempt of court orders.

D.C. Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt set a hearing for September 8, 2026. The Court determined that the defendant should be held pending trial.

According to court documents, on March 14, 2025, the victim returned to her residence and observed that her 4-year-old son had a black eye. A witness reported that while the mother was out of the home, the defendant became upset with the 4-year-old and punched him in the face. In the months following, the victim received a Civil Protection Order against the defendant from a D.C. Superior Court judge, which the defendant repeatedly violated. On April 16, 2026, the victim reported that the defendant kidnapped her and her children from her friend's apartment complex and held them captive for multiple hours. The victim and her children ultimately became free of the defendant when he fled the area once police arrived. Just a few days later, on April 20, 2026, the D.C. Fire Department was dispatched to that same apartment complex where the victim and her children were taken from by the defendant. The D.C. Fire Investigation Unit located a fire at the door of the apartment belonging to the victim's friend and observed further damage to the apartment's exterior window as well as burned patches beneath that window.

Joining the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.

This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the D.C. Fire Investigation Unit. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Olivia Hinerfeld.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

2026 CF3 12263