Man arrested near White House for 'finger gun' gesture at National Guard member, later released

A 28-year-old man was arrested earlier this week near the White House after making a "finger gun" gesture toward a National Guard member, charged with a misdemeanor and released from custody on Wednesday, The Hill reported on November 5. (Photo: file photo of National Guard soldiers patrolling in Washington, AP.)

Gesture at a patrol van, detained on the spot

According to an arrest affidavit dated Monday, William Clark, 28, made "a shooting gesture with a finger gun" toward a uniformed guardsman driving a van on a street lining the White House ellipse. The service member and other nearby troops detained him until D.C. Metropolitan Police Department officers arrived.

The affidavit says police arrested him for "threats in a menacing manner and assault on a police officer." A November 3 court filing, however, shows he was charged only with "assault or threatened assault in a menacing manner," a misdemeanor carrying a maximum of 180 days in prison or a $1,000 fine, with no separate charge for assault against a law enforcement officer.

Guard presence in the capital passes a year, debate continues

The National Guard has had a presence in the nation's capital for over a year. Guardsmen were also deployed to at least seven states during Tuesday's midterm elections, primarily for monitoring ballot boxes and assisting in election security. A Guard official previously confirmed to The Hill that the Pentagon is expected to keep a National Guard in D.C. until Inauguration Day 2029.

The deployment remains contested: local officials and Democratic lawmakers have said it is unnecessary, costly and lacking a clear strategy, rejecting President Trump's argument that the Guard has significantly reduced crime in the capital, and arguing that guardsmen cannot make arrests and have not been stationed in high-crime areas.