ABC News anchor Kyra Phillips said she was recently accosted on the streets of Washington.
At the beginning of the interview, Pirro focused on youths and teens committing crimes in the city; she noted that unless they are charged with serious crimes like murder, teenagers cannot be prosecuted. Pirro called for serious reforms, including lowering the age for prosecuting violent crimes.
Phillips then shifted focus away from the juveniles.
"You're talking about the minors, but I'm going to use a personal experience," Phillips said. "I was jumped just two blocks [from] here, from the ABC bureau. It was not a minor though."
"I'm sorry," Pirro responded.
"Hey, look, it's happened to a lot of people in our building, sadly," Phillips noted, before continuing her story. "He was homeless, and half-dressed, clearly wasn't in his clear mind. It was scary as hell, I'm not going to lie. But I fought back. I didn't see any weapons in his hands. I felt like it was my only choice."
Phillips noted that crime has increased in the area around ABC News's D.C. Bureau, which is located in Downtown Washington, D.C., just a few blocks north of the White House. Phillips said that two people had been shot—including one who died—just two blocks from the Bureau. She said her own attack happened within the last two years. She also said that that day, one of her co-workers had her car stolen, just one block from the Bureau.
"So we can talk about the numbers going down, but crime is happening every single day, because we're all experiencing it firsthand while working and living down here," she said.
Several commentators and TV hosts who live in Washington have pointed out examples of crime and how it has affected them and people they know.
"Crime remains rampant," he quoted. "I've had too many friends carjacked, shot at. None of us will walk more than 3 blocks after 8 p.m."