Man Sues D.C. Police and National Guard for Alleged First and Fourth Amendment Violations

Strategic Insights -

Sam O'Hara, a Washington D.C. resident, filed a lawsuit against four Metropolitan Police Department officers and a member of the Ohio National Guard, claiming he was detained for playing Darth Vader's theme from the "Star Wars" franchise while protesting National Guard troops patrolling the city during President Trump's crime crackdown. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed the suit on behalf of O'Hara, seeking damages for alleged First and Fourth Amendment violations, false arrest/imprisonment; battery. The incident took place on September 11, when O'Hara was protesting the National Guard deployment by playing "The Imperial March" song from "The Empire Strikes Back" while filming the troops.

Key Takeaways:

  • Sam O'Hara was detained for 15-20 minutes by D.C. police officers after a member of the Ohio National Guard threatened to call the police to "handle" the protester.
  • The ACLU alleges that the detention was a First and Fourth Amendment violation, and the police report shared with Axios contradicts this account.
  • The police report states that the guardsman had "flagged down" the officers and that O'Hara was "sent on his way without further incident."
  • O'Hara's attorneys argue that the First Amendment bars government officials from shutting down peaceful protests, and the Fourth Amendment bars groundless seizures.
  • The lawsuit also claims that the Ohio guardsman was "not amused" by O'Hara's satire and threatened to call the police if he persisted.
  • O'Hara's actions were filmed and uploaded to TikTok, where they were viewed "millions" of times.

Statistics:

  • 15-20 minutes: The duration of O'Hara's detention by D.C. police officers.
  • "Millions": The number of views O'Hara's TikTok videos received.
  • September 11: The date of the incident described in the lawsuit.
  • 4: The number of Metropolitan Police Department officers and 1 Ohio National Guard member named in the lawsuit.

Sources:

  • Axios: [https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/09/22/national-guard-deployment-trump-crackdown-groceries](https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/09/22/national-guard-deployment-trump-crackdown-groceries)
  • ACLU: [https://www.acludc.org/app/uploads/2025/10/20251023-OHARA-COMPL-FILED.pdf](https://www.acludc.org/app/uploads/2025/10/20251023-OHARA-COMPL-FILED.pdf)
  • Axios: [https://www.axios.com/2025/05/04/trump-white-house-star-wars-post](https://www.axios.com/2025/05/04/trump-white-house-star-wars-post)
  • Axios: [https://www.axios.com/technology/tiktok-news](https://www.axios.com/technology/tiktok-news)