The District of Columbia has reached a settlement with a resident who claimed police unlawfully detained him while he was protesting the presence of federal troops by playing Darth Vader’s theme song from “Star Wars” on his phone. The agreement resolves Sam O’Hara’s lawsuit against the district and four Metropolitan Police Department officers.
Details of the financial terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but an American Civil Liberties Union spokesperson described the amount as “significant” and stated that O’Hara is pleased with the outcome. O’Hara is expected to drop his lawsuit claims within three business days of receiving the settlement payment. The D.C. Attorney General’s office declined to comment on the agreement.
O'Hara’s lawsuit, filed last October, alleged violations of his First Amendment rights to free speech and Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable seizures and excessive force. He claims that during a protest on Sept. 11, 2025, against President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard members in Washington, he did not interfere with Guard troops patrolling on a public street.
According to the lawsuit, one of the troops summoned Metropolitan Police officers, who then detained O’Hara. He was handcuffed for 15 to 20 minutes before being released without charges. O'Hara, an artist, had been using the music from “The Imperial March” as a soundtrack for his protests against the federal law-enforcement surge, which had drawn criticism from residents of the heavily Democratic district. Videos of his interactions with troops had garnered millions of views on TikTok.
The settlement does not resolve O’Hara’s ongoing claims against an Ohio National Guard member, Sgt. Devon Beck, who attorneys state was acting within his assigned duty. Beck's lawyers have asked a judge to dismiss O'Hara's claims against him.
President Trump issued an executive order declaring a crime emergency in Washington in August of the previous year, leading to hundreds of Guard troops and federal agents assisting local police patrols. This surge resulted in heightened tensions with residents, and hundreds of Guard members have remained deployed in the district for nearly a year without a clear end date.