Washington– WASHINGTON (AP) — A man says he was arrested by police for following an Ohio National Guard patrol while the Darth Vader song from the movie “Star Wars” played on his phone. He filed a lawsuit against the District of Columbia Thursday, claiming the officers violated his constitutional rights.
Sam O’Hara’s federal lawsuit says the ominous orchestral music of “The Imperial March” was the soundtrack to his peaceful protests against… President Donald Trump spread From members of the Guard in Washington, D.C. It was viewed by millions of TikTok users O’Hara Videos From his interactions with troops, according to the lawsuit filed by ACLU lawyers.
O’Hara, a 35-year-old resident of Washington, says he did not interfere in the affairs of the Ohio National Guard during their September 11 confrontation on a public street. A trooper summoned Metropolitan Police Department officers, who stopped O’Hara and kept him in handcuffs for 15 to 20 minutes before releasing him without charges, according to the lawsuit.
“Government behavior of this kind may have been tolerated by the law a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. But currently, the First Amendment prohibits government officials from suppressing peaceful protests,” his lawsuit says.
O’Hara also filed a lawsuit against four MPD officers and the Guard member who called them to the scene. The lawsuit accuses them of violating his First Amendment rights to free speech and his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable seizures and excessive force. O’Hara is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
A spokesperson for Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office declined to comment on the lawsuit’s allegations. Spokespeople for the Ohio Police Department and National Guard did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
In August, Trump, a Republican, issued an executive order Declaring a state of criminal emergency In Washington. Within a month, more than 2,300 National Guard soldiers from eight states and the region were patrolling the city under the command of the Secretary of the Army. Trump also deployed hundreds of federal agents to assist with patrols.
There has been a significant increase in law enforcement under Trump Inflamed tensions With residents of the area with a Democratic majority. District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb He has File a lawsuit against Trump To finish it.
O’Hara’s lawsuit says he became “deeply concerned that troops patrolling D.C. neighborhoods would return to normal.”
“For many area residents, the deployment constituted an attack on D.C.’s independence and a dangerous departure from the nation’s tradition of preventing troops from surveilling civilians,” the lawsuit said.
O’Hara had organized and recorded other “Star Wars”-themed protests against the Guard deployment. Troopers mostly ignored him, the suit says.
On September 11, O’Hara was returning home from work when he began following four armed Ohio State Guard members. Less than two minutes later, one of the soldiers warned him that he would call police officers to “deal with him” if he continued to follow them, according to the lawsuit.
Police officers who arrived minutes later accused O’Hara of harassing the troops, which he denied. The lawsuit alleged that they detained him without conducting any investigation and ignored his complaints that the handcuffs were too tight.
“Mr. O’Hara brings this lawsuit to ensure accountability, secure compensation for his injuries, and defend basic constitutional guarantees,” the lawsuit says.