D.C. Man Sues Over 'Imperial March' Detention

Sam O’Hara, 35, filed a federal lawsuit on Oct. 23 alleging he was unlawfully detained after following Ohio National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 11 while playing John Williams’ “The Imperial March” on his phone as a protest. The American Civil Liberties Union represents O’Hara, who says he kept the music audible but not blaring, recorded and posted the encounters on TikTok where they drew millions of views, and that officers handcuffed him and held him about 15–20 minutes before releasing him without charges. The complaint names an Ohio Guard member, four Metropolitan Police Department officers, several D.C. Office of Attorney General individuals and the District, and asserts violations of the First and Fourth Amendments while seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. The suit alleges a Guard member summoned police after objecting to O’Hara’s protest, and city and Guard officials have not commented publicly.