WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� 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 National Guard patrol while playing Darth Vader鈥檚 theme song from 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� on his cellphone, according to a document released Monday.
The plaintiff, Sam 翱鈥橦补谤补, 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鈥檚 financial terms as 鈥渁 significant amount鈥� that 翱鈥橦补谤补 鈥渋s pleased with鈥� but said they weren’t disclosing the dollar figure to protect his privacy.
翱鈥橦补谤补, 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鈥檛 resolve his related claims against an Ohio National Guard member, Sgt. Devon Beck, who has asked a judge to dismiss 翱鈥橦补谤补鈥檚 claims against him.
翱鈥橦补谤补 said in a statement that he is satisfied with the settlement but conflicted that taxpayers are footing the bill.
鈥淭hose who actually violated my constitutional rights should be the ones paying the price, like taking the money from their pensions. That鈥檚 what real accountability looks like,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his settlement is a reminder that our freedoms are worth fighting for, especially when the powerful would rather we suffer in silence.鈥�
翱鈥橦补谤补 in October, claiming police officers violated his First Amendment rights to free speech and his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable seizures and excessive force.
翱鈥橦补谤补 played 鈥淭he Imperial March鈥� theme from 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� on his phone as he followed several National Guard troops down a public street on Sept. 11, 2025. One of the troops summoned police officers, who stopped 翱鈥橦补谤补 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.
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