ɫtv Guard soldiers patrol at the base of the Washington Monument, on Friday, June 5, 2026, in Washington, looking toward the Lincoln Memorial. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Members of the ɫtv Guard stands guard the streets near the White House complex Saturday, June 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
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ɫtv Guard soldiers patrol at the base of the Washington Monument, on Friday, June 5, 2026, in Washington, looking toward the Lincoln Memorial. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
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ɫtv Guard members stand near the Lincoln Memorial on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The District of Columbia has agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a resident who accused police officers of illegally detaining him for following an Ohio ɫtv Guard patrol while playing Darth Vader’s theme song from “Star Wars” on his cellphone, according to a document released Monday.
The plaintiff, Sam ’H, sued the district, four Metropolitan Police Department officers and a guard member from Ohio over what he says was against President Donald Trump's federal law enforcement surge in Washington, D.C.
A court filing on Thursday disclosed the settlement but didn't specify any monetary terms. The amount is included in a copy of the settlement agreement that D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb's office provided to The Associated Press.
The $50,000 settlement includes attorney's fees and costs. O'Hara is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia. In an email on Friday, an ACLU spokesperson referred to the settlement’s financial terms as “a significant amount” that ’H “is pleased with” but said they weren't disclosing the dollar figure to protect his privacy.
’H, an artist who works in the hospitality industry, agreed to drop his claims against the district and the MPD officers within three business days of receiving the settlement payment. The settlement isn't an admission of wrongdoing by the district, the agreement says.
O'Hara's settlement with the district doesn’t resolve his related claims against an Ohio ɫtv Guard member, Sgt. Devon Beck, who has asked a judge to dismiss ’H’s claims against him.
’H in October, claiming police officers violated his First Amendment rights to free speech and his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable seizures and excessive force.
’H played “The Imperial March” theme from “Star Wars” on his phone as he followed several ɫtv Guard troops down a public street on Sept. 11, 2025. One of the troops summoned police officers, who stopped ’H and kept him handcuffed for 15 to 20 minutes before releasing him without charges, according to the lawsuit.
of guard members in Washington began last August after the Republican president issued an executive order in the nation's capital. The surge with residents of the heavily Democratic district. Hundreds of guard members in the district nearly a year later, with no clear end in sight.
