DC police settle lawsuit man detained while protesting National Guard with Star Wars song

WASHINGTON - The Metropolitan Police Department has agreed to settle a lawsuit with a man who said his First Amendment rights were violated when he was handcuffed while protesting National Guard troops in the District.

The backstory:

After the Trump administration deployed thousands of National Guard troops to Washington in August, Sam O'Hara decided to protest the move. O'Hara posted multiple videos on social media of him following troops while playing the "Imperial March" from the Star Wars franchise, the theme for the movies' villains.

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Then, on Sept. 11, O'Hara was again playing the song near troops at 14th and Q Streets NW. That's when Ohio National Guard Sgt. Devon Beck confronted O'Hara. O'Hara says that Beck called D.C. police officers over and told the officers to "handle" Beck. The officers then handcuffed Beck, detaining him for several minutes, according to the lawsuit.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the MPD and the Ohio National Guard on O'Hara's behalf in October, asserting that his First Amendment rights were violated.

What they're saying:

O'Hara and Scott Michelman of the ACLU spoke with FOX 5 after the settlement was announced.

He said he wanted to "bring national attention to all the tax dollars being wasted," by the National Guard's deployment.

I wanted people to understand that the National Guard are here for really no reason," O'Hara said. "They shouldn't be here. I live in a very safe neighborhood, and my protest [did] exactly what it was meant to do."

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"Whether it's a street patrol or a demonstration in a crowd, it is well-recognized and clearly established that we all have the right to film police doing their duty," Michelson said.

What we don't know:

The exact terms of the settlement have not been announced, but the announcement says it "releases all District of Columbia defendants from the case in exchange for compensation paid to O’Hara."

FOX 5 DC has reached out to the MPD for comment, but has not yet heard back.

What's next:

While the MPD has settled its part of the lawsuit, the part involving Beck and the Ohio National Guard remains open.

"The Metropolitan Police Department have taken accountability, but we're still hoping that Sergeant Beck and the National Guard will as well," O'Hara said.