ACLU Sues D.C. Over Star Wars Protest Arrest

Sam O’Hara, a 35-year-old Washington, D.C., resident whose TikTok videos of him following and recording National Guard patrols while playing John Williams’ “The Imperial March” went viral, says he was peacefully protesting the Guard’s presence in the city. On Sept. 11, an Ohio National Guard sergeant identified in the complaint as Sgt. Devon Beck allegedly threatened to call police; Metropolitan Police officers then arrived, handcuffed and detained O’Hara for roughly 15–20 minutes before releasing him without charges. The ACLU of D.C. filed a federal lawsuit alleging violations of O’Hara’s First and Fourth Amendment rights, false arrest and related claims, and is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. The complaint names Sgt. Devon Beck, several MPD officers and the District of Columbia as defendants and frames the protests as a response to President Trump’s August order deploying National Guard troops to Washington. The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly.