Sam O’Hara claims that the police officers who detained him breached his constitutional rights

Washington resident Sam O’Hara has filed a federal suit against the District of Columbia after he was detained by police officers for following an Ohio National Guard patrol while playing “The Imperial March” theme from the Star Wars movies, reported the Associated Press.

O’Hara claimed that the police breached his constitutional rights with the detention. On September 11, he had been playing the music through his phone as part of a peaceful protest against the National Guard deployment in Washington by US President Donald Trump.

O’Hara said he had not obstructed the four-member patrol while following them on his way home from work, but a member of the troops threatened to call the police if he kept tailing them. The National Guard member eventually called on the Metropolitan Police Department.

Per O’Hara’s suit, the police alleged that he was harassing the National Guard without investigation. They kept O’Hara cuffed for a 15–20-minute duration, disregarding his protests that the cuffs were too tight, before they let him go without filing charges.

O’Hara named the National Guard member who had summoned the police and four Metropolitan Police Department officers as defendants in the suit. He accused them of breaching his First Amendment rights to free speech and his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable seizures and excessive force. His suit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing O’Hara, said in the suit that the evidence of how O’Hara interacted with the troops was available on TikTok, where he posted his videos. O’Hara claimed that his playing of the iconic piece, which is known as the theme for Star Wars villain Darth Vader, was a funny form of protest; he had conducted other Star Wars-themed protests that had generally been ignored by other troops.

“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,” the suit said in a snippet published by AP News.

O’Hara’s camp said the suit was being filed to “ensure accountability, secure compensation for his injuries, and vindicate core constitutional guarantees.” US district judge Timothy Kelly is set to preside over the matter.

Spokespeople for D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser’s office declined to comment, as did the police department. A spokesperson for The Ohio National Guard did not immediately respond to email requests for comment, per AP News.