{"id":2502485,"date":"2025-10-23T18:57:02","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T22:57:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/man-arrested-after-playing-darth-vader-theme-behind-troops-aclu-sues\/"},"modified":"2025-10-23T18:58:35","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T22:58:35","slug":"man-arrested-after-playing-darth-vader-theme-behind-troops-aclu-sues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/man-arrested-after-playing-darth-vader-theme-behind-troops-aclu-sues\/","title":{"rendered":"Man arrested after playing Darth Vader theme behind troops, ACLU sues"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fman-arrested-after-playing-darth-vader-theme-behind-troops-aclu-sues%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2502485&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A Washington, D.C. man named Sam O&#8217;Hara was arrested after playing &#8220;the Imperial March&#8221; (the Darth Vader theme from Star Wars) behind a National Guard member during the Guard&#8217;s deployment in the city. The arrest was made by federalized Metropolitan Police officers, who accused O&#8217;Hara of harassing the National Guard. Represented by the ACLU, O&#8217;Hara has filed a lawsuit claiming that his actions were a peaceful protest against the National guard presence and are protected under the First and Fourth Amendments. the case, overseen by Judge Timothy James Kelly, challenges what the ACLU describes as an unlawful suppression of peaceful protest and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/does-james-craig-have-a-real-shot-at-beating-whitmer\/\" title=\"Does James Craig Have A Real Shot At Beating Whitmer?\">false arrest<\/a>. The lawsuit names the arrested officer and others, as well as District officials, as defendants. The National Guard has been deployed in D.C.for over two months following a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kemp-to-send-300-national-guard-troops-from-georgia-to-dc\/\" title=\"Kemp to send 300 ... from Georgia to DC\">crime emergency declaration<\/a>, with plans for a possibly extended presence.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Man arrested after playing Darth Vader theme behind Guard troops, ACLU sues on his behalf<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2381577\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/aclu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">American Civil Liberties Union<\/a> filed a lawsuit Thursday on behalf of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Washington-DC\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Washington, D.C.,<\/a> man who was arrested after playing &ldquo;The Imperial March&rdquo; from <em>Star Wars<\/em> behind <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/national-guard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Guard <\/a>troops in the district.<\/p>\n<p>Officers of the federalized Metropolitan Police Department arrested 35-year-old Sam O&rsquo;Hara for playing the song behind Ohio National Guard member Devon Beck in mid-September, according to the complaint. O&rsquo;Hara followed Beck and recorded him on his cellphone while playing the song in the Logan Circle neighborhood of the district. The MPD officers told him he was detained for &ldquo;harassing the National Guard,&rdquo; according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3861751\/trump-calls-off-federal-deployment-san-francisco\/\">Trump calls off federal deployment to San Francisco after call with &#8216;friends&#8217; and mayor<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3861143\/fbi-dc-pipe-bomb-suspect-new-videos\/\">FBI renews call for information about 2021 DC pipe bomb suspect with never-before-seen videos<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3861165\/watch-live-fbi-hold-press-conference-arrest-terry-rozier-sports-gambling-probe\/\">WATCH LIVE: FBI hold press conference after arrest of Terry Rozier in sports gambling probe<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>O&rsquo;Hara&rsquo;s attorney, Michael Perloff of Washington&rsquo;s ACLU, argued in the <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.dcd.286143\/gov.uscourts.dcd.286143.1.0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">complaint<\/a> that O&rsquo;Hara was peacefully protesting the National Guard presence in the district. He said O&rsquo;Hara had played the song behind National Guard members on three separate occasions and posted the videos on his TikTok account in protest of the deployment.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Members of the Washington, D.C., National Guard speak while people walk to Nationals Park, Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Jon Cherry)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;The law might have tolerated government conduct of this sort a long time ago in a galaxy<br \/>far, far away. But in the here and now, the First Amendment bars government officials from<br \/>shutting down peaceful protests, and the Fourth Amendment (along with the District&rsquo;s prohibition<br \/>on false arrest) bars groundless seizures,&rdquo; Perloff wrote in the complaint.<\/p>\n<p>The ACLU attorney filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. President Donald Trump-appointed Judge Timothy James Kelly will serve as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-president-trump-gives-pardons-to-73-individuals-and-commutes-another-70-sentences-steve-bannon-is-included\/\" title=\"BREAKING: President Trump Gives Pardons to 73 Individuals and Commutes Another 70 Sentences \u2013 Steve Bannon Is Included\">presiding judge<\/a> in the case.<\/p>\n<p>The lawsuit comes as the National Guard has been deployed in Washington for over two months after Trump originally declared a crime emergency in the capital. As of the latest order, the guard will stay in the district until at least Nov. 30, though officials told the troops to &ldquo;prepare for a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >long-term persistent presence&#038;rdquo<\/a>; in the capital.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3857945\/dc-national-guard-winterizing-preparation-possible-deployment-extension-america-250\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">DC NATIONAL GUARD &lsquo;WINTERIZING&rsquo; TO PREPARE FOR POSSIBLE EXTENSION UNTIL &lsquo;AMERICA 250&rsquo;<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>O&rsquo;Hara&rsquo;s lawsuit names Beck, Washington, D.C., and the responding MPD officers JM Campbell, Tiffany Brown, Edward Reyes-Benigno, and Alfozo Lopez Martinez as defendants. The court sent a <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.dcd.286143\/gov.uscourts.dcd.286143.3.0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">summons<\/a> to each of the individuals &mdash; Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser&rsquo;s office, and the district, in care of the District&rsquo;s Office of the Attorney General.<\/p>\n<p>Bowser&rsquo;s officer declined to comment on the lawsuit. Washington Attorney General Brian Schwalb&rsquo;s office did not respond to the <em>Washington Examiner&rsquo;s<\/em> requests for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Man arrested for playing Darth Vader theme; ACLU sues<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3976,"featured_media":2502486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/dc-crime-police.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[65792,5175,65791,4505,65793],"class_list":["post-2502485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-aclu-lawsuit","tag-arrest","tag-darth-vader-theme","tag-military","tag-music-protest"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/dc-crime-police.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2502485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2502485"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2502485\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2502489,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2502485\/revisions\/2502489"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2502486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2502485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2502485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2502485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}