Man Sues D.C. Police for Detention During Darth Vader Protest

A Washington resident has filed a federal lawsuit against the District of Columbia, claiming police officers violated his constitutional rights during a peaceful protest. The incident involved Sam O’Hara, who was detained while following an Ohio National Guard patrol on September 11, 2023, playing the theme song of Darth Vader from “Star Wars” on his phone.

O’Hara’s lawsuit, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, argues that his use of the ominous orchestral music, known as “The Imperial March,” served as a soundtrack for his protests against former President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard members in the city. The suit highlights that O’Hara’s videos of these interactions have garnered millions of views on social media platform TikTok.

According to the lawsuit, O’Hara did not interfere with the National Guard troops during the encounter. He claims that one of the soldiers called officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) after he began following them on a public street. O’Hara was subsequently stopped and detained in handcuffs for 15 to 20 minutes before being released without facing any charges.

“The law might have tolerated government conduct of this sort a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. But in the here and now, the First Amendment bars government officials from shutting down peaceful protests,” the lawsuit states. In addition to the District of Columbia, O’Hara also named four MPD officers and the Guard member who called the police in his suit.

The legal action accuses the defendants of violating O’Hara’s rights under the First Amendment, which guarantees free speech, and the Fourth Amendment, which protects against unreasonable seizures and excessive force. He is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

A spokesperson for Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office declined to comment on the lawsuit, while representatives from the police department and the Ohio National Guard did not respond to requests for comment.

This incident unfolds against a backdrop of heightened tensions in Washington, D.C., following Trump’s executive order in August that declared a crime emergency in the city. Under this order, over 2,300 National Guard troops from eight states and the District were deployed to patrol the area, leading to concerns among local residents regarding military presence in civilian neighborhoods.

O’Hara’s lawsuit articulates his concerns about the implications of troops patrolling D.C. neighborhoods, describing the deployment as an attack on the autonomy of the capital and a troubling departure from the tradition of prohibiting military forces from policing civilians.

On the day of the incident, O’Hara, who had previously staged other “Star Wars”-themed protests, was returning home from work when he encountered the four armed Guard members. Less than two minutes into his following, one of the troops warned him that police would be summoned if he did not stop. The arriving officers accused O’Hara of harassing the troops, a claim he denied.

The lawsuit alleges that the police detained O’Hara without conducting a proper investigation and ignored his complaints regarding the tightness of the handcuffs. In seeking accountability through this legal action, O’Hara aims to secure compensation for his injuries and uphold his constitutional rights.

As this case unfolds, it raises important questions about the balance between public safety and the rights of individuals to express themselves peacefully.