Protester blasting 'The Imperial March' at troops in DC was detained, lawsuit says

Jennifer Rodriguez, Miami Herald on Oct 23, 2025

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A Washington, D.C., man is suing after he says he was wrongfully detained for playing a “Star Wars” song at military troops.

Sam O’Hara, 35, filed the lawsuit against an Ohio National Guard member, several individuals with the D.C. Office of Attorney General, and the District of Columbia on Thursday.

The District of Columbia declined a request for comment. McClatchy News reached out to the Ohio National Guard and the D.C. Office of Attorney General for comment but did not immediately hear back.

The lawsuit stems from an incident on Sept. 11.

In August, President Donald Trump deployed National Guard members to Washington, D.C. But the normalization of troops in neighborhoods “deeply concerned” O’Hara, the lawsuit said.

In an attempt to protest their presence, O’Hara began walking behind troops when he saw them out in communities, the civil complaint said. As he walked behind them, he would use his phone or a small speaker and play “The Imperial March,” according to the lawsuit.

“The Imperial March” is a song from the “Star Wars” franchise that “plays when Darth Vader or other dark forces enter a scene,” the complaint said.

O’Hara would record his protests and post them on TikTok, where they received millions of views, the complaint said.

However, one of the National Guard members “was not amused by this satire” and contacted law enforcement, the lawsuit said. Police arrived and detained O’Hara, placing him in handcuffs, the complaint said.

“The law might have tolerated government conduct of this sort a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. But in the here and now, the First Amendment bars government officials from shutting down peaceful protests, and the Fourth Amendment (along with the District’s prohibition on false arrest) bars groundless seizures,” the lawsuit said.

O’Hara asked why he was being arrested and officers told him he was not under arrest but had been stopped for “harassing the National Guard,” according to the lawsuit.

O’Hara was handcuffed for 15 to 20 minutes before he was released without charges, the complaint said.

The complaint said O’Hara was wrongfully detained and because of the incident “has experienced significant anxiety around law enforcement and feels less safe in his neighborhood.”

“I think the men and women who signed up to serve their country did not have this in mind, that they would be policing their fellow citizens,” O’Hara said in an interview, according to The Washington Post. “My protest is to make sure that everyone knows that this is coming from the top. These orders are coming from an administration that seeks to use fear and tactics to make sure their power extends to branches of government where it doesn’t belong.”

The lawsuit claims suppression of speech, retaliation, unreasonable seizure, unreasonably prolonged seizure, excessive force, false imprisonment and common law battery.

It is asking for an undetermined amount in damages.