A man who was detained after playing “The Imperial March” from Star Wars during a National Guard parade has sued. Sam O’Hara was briefly detained after he played the iconic John Williams tune from his phone in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 11. The American Civil Liberties Union of D.C. filed the lawsuit on his behalf Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleging the detention violated O’Hara’s constitutional rights. The suit is being filed against the District of Columbia, as well as four D.C. cops and a sergeant in the Ohio National Guard. According to the ACLU, O’Hara, 35, had been walking behind the troops as they marched, recording on his phone while playing the song. The suit alleges that a Guard member then “turned around and threatened to call the police officers to ‘handle’ Mr. O’Hara if he did not stop.” O’Hara persisted, the suit alleges, prompting the troops to call local cops. At this point, he was detained for up to 20 minutes while “tightly handcuffed.” The suit alleges: “Government conduct of this sort might have received legal sanction a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. But in the here and now, the First Amendment bars government officials from restraining individuals from recording law enforcement or peacefully protesting.” The Daily Beast has contacted the Ohio National Guard, the District of Columbia, and the Metropolitan Police Department for comment.
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