Sam O’Hara is suing D.C. for allegedly detaining him during a peaceful protest as he played the Imperial March song for National Guard members.

WASHINGTON — A man is suing the District and the Ohio National Guard after he was allegedly detained while playing the ‘Imperial March’ as National Guard members walked past in September. 

According to an ACLU lawsuit obtained by WUSA9, 35-year-old Sam O’Hara began playing the Star Wars theme as National Guard members walked through the Logan Circle neighborhood in uniform on Sept. 11. 

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“In the Star Wars franchise, The Imperial March is the music that plays when Darth Vader or other dark forces enter a scene of succeed in their dastardly plans,” the lawsuit reads. “It is also the soundtrack of Sam O’Hara’s protest against the National Guard deployment in D.C. 

O’Hara used his phone to play the song and started recording video as he walked behind the National Guard. The lawsuit states that a National Guard Sergeant turned around and threatened to call DC Police officers to “handle” O’Hara if he didn’t stop. 

O’Hara continued recording and playing music and several DC Police officers were brought to the area. When O’Hara told officers he was protesting, the lawsuit alleges that one officer dismissed that explanation. 

“That’s not a protest. You better define protest. This isn’t a protest. You are not protesting,” the lawsuit claims the officer said. 

The lawsuit claims the officers put O’Hara in handcuffs, putting an end to his peaceful protest. 

“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 reads. 

The lawsuit alleges that the National Guard sergeant and D.C. officers violated O’Hara’s constitutional rights. He was reportedly detained and cuffed for 15 to 20 minutes; however, that time may have been prolonged because O’Hara allegedly asked for a DC Police supervisor. 

The man was released after telling officers he wanted to leave and no longer wished to speak to a supervisor. 

O’Hara is now suing the four DC Police officers, the National Guard sergeant, and the District of Columbia. 

The incident left O’Hara with marks on his wrist, pain in his previously injured shoulder, and anxiety around law enforcement, the lawsuit says. 

According to the lawsuit, this was not the first time O’Hara has protested the federal surge by playing the Star Wars song. 

“Three times between Aug. 29 and Sept. 10, 2025, Mr. O’Hara saw Guard members patrolling D.C.’s streets and protested them in essential the same way: He walked behind them and used his phone (and on one instance a small speaker) to play the Imperial March and record the interaction,” the lawsuit reads. In each protest, O’Hara did not speak with the National Guard members and posted recordings on TikTok to millions of viewers. 

“For their part, most Guard members ignored Mr. O’Hara, and a few smiled or laughed,” the lawsuit reads. 

The lawsuit does not have a set amount of damages to be paid, but does request that compensatory and punitive damages against all the defendants “in an amount appropriate to the evidence adduced at trial.” 

WUSA9 reached out to the DC Office of the Attorney General for a statement regarding the lawsuit and was told “no comment.”Â