The District of Columbia has reached a settlement with a protester who was arrested after following an Ohio National Guard patrol while playing Darth Vader’s theme from “Star Wars” on his cellphone.
Sam O’Hara will be paid $50,000 under the agreement, after claiming in a lawsuit that he was wrongfully detained and subjected to excessive force, according to a court filing Thursday obtained by The Associated Press.
O’Hara, an artist who works in the hospitality industry, said he was pleased with the outcome but uneasy that the settlement will be funded by taxpayers.
“Those who actually violated my constitutional rights should be the ones paying the price, like taking the money from their pensions. That’s what real accountability looks like,” he said in a statement, according to the AP.
National Guard members gather at the Capitol, on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)
The incident occurred on Sept. 11, 2025, when O’Hara allegedly walked behind several National Guard members on a street while playing “The Imperial March,” the well-known “Star Wars” villain theme, from his phone.
His lawsuit described the act as a satirical protest against President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops to patrol neighborhoods in Washington, D.C.
According to the complaint, a member of the National Guard contacted police, who stopped O’Hara and held him in handcuffs that were “tightly” fastened for about 15 to 20 minutes before releasing him without filing charges.
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South Carolina National Guard soldiers keep watch as travelers arrive at the entrance to Union Station near the Capitol, Thursday, Aug 21, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Mariam Zuhaib/AP Photo)
The following month, O’Hara sued Washington, D.C., four Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers and an Ohio National Guard member.
In court documents, O’Hara alleged the defendants violated his First and Fourth Amendment rights, accusing them of unlawfully restricting free speech and initiating an unlawful seizure while using excessive force.
The lawsuit sought compensatory and punitive damages for claims including false imprisonment, battery and constitutional retaliation.
National Guard members patrol the National Mall in Washington, DC, on Aug. 30, 2025. (Andrew Leyden/Getty)
Last August, Trump began deploying National Guard members after declaring a crime emergency in the nation’s capital.
The increased federal presence heightened tensions among some residents in the heavily Democratic district who criticized the deployment as an overreach of federal authority.
