WASHINGTON — The District of Columbia reached a settlement agreement with Sam O'Hara on June 25, 2026, resolving a lawsuit O'Hara filed following his arrest in 2025. O'Hara will drop his claims against the District of Columbia and four Metropolitan Police Department officers within three business days of receiving the settlement payment.

The settlement amount was not disclosed. An ACLU spokesperson said the settlement is "a significant amount" that O'Hara "is pleased with." The settlement does not resolve O'Hara's claims against an Ohio National Guard member, Sgt. Devon Beck, whose attorneys have asked a judge to dismiss the claims. Beck's lawyers stated, "He was there because that was his assigned duty." His attorneys also stated, "This was not an accidental encounter or a one-time disagreement on a public sidewalk."

O'Hara sued the District of Columbia in October 2025, claiming police officers violated his First Amendment rights to free speech and his Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable seizures and excessive force. The lawsuit followed an encounter on September 11, 2025, when O'Hara played Darth Vader's theme song from "Star Wars" on his phone while following an Ohio National Guard patrol on a public street in Washington, D.C.

Metropolitan Police Department officers stopped O'Hara during the incident and kept him handcuffed for 15 to 20 minutes. He was later released without charges. The lawsuit states that millions of TikTok users have viewed O'Hara's videos of his interactions with troops.

In August 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order declaring a crime emergency in Washington. This order led to the deployment of hundreds of Guard troops and federal agents to assist police with patrols in the city.