WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union of the District of Columbia (ACLU-D.C.) and law firm Levy Firestone Muse today filed a legal claim on behalf of Anna King, a combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient, who was assaulted by National Guard troops at her D.C. home. The filing is part of a coordinated nationwide effort by the ACLU and its affiliates involving 54 claims across 17 states and Washington, D.C.
On May 8, 2026, Anna King was sitting on her front patio when three National Guard members walked through her gate, told her that she was detained, and violently restrained her. The Guard members pinned her to the ground, kneeled on her back, and handcuffed her tightly, refusing to loosen the handcuffs after she complained. King suffered significant injuries from the incident, particularly in her wrist, which required surgery. King, a retired Army captain, continues to experience significant detrimental physical and mental effects of this assault.
The Guard members asserted that King had assaulted other Guard members two days earlier—something she did not do and was never charged with having done. King had, however, been a vocal critic of the National Guard’s mobilization in D.C. and had protested their presence by displaying signs on her house.
“As a trained combat veteran, I never imagined that armed National Guard members would attack, injure, and traumatize me at my home. We are not at war with Americans, and my porch is not a war zone,” King said. “The troops who attacked me need to be held accountable, and every one of the thousands of armed National Guard members who continue to patrol our streets, our grocery stores, our Metro stations need to leave immediately before they hurt anyone else.”
King filed the complaint with the Department of Defense and the Idaho National Guard pursuant to the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA). She seeks compensation for her injuries and accountability for the violation of her rights.
"National Guard troops should be helping Americans during true emergencies, not violently attacking a decorated combat veteran at her home in the nation's capital," said Michael Perloff, senior staff attorney at the ACLU-D.C. "These troops should be held accountable for their blatant disregard for Ms. King’s rights."
“When armed troops brutalize Americans on U.S. soil, something is very wrong,” said Scott Brooks, a partner at Levy Firestone Muse LLP. “The attack on Anna King should concern us all."
Across the country, ACLU affiliates are fighting back against the Trump administration’s illegal conduct by filing claims under the FTCA, one of the few legal tools available to seek financial compensation for wrongdoing by federal government employees. Through this coordinated effort, ACLU affiliates are representing dozens of people and families who are seeking justice for the harm they experienced at the hands of federal immigration agents.
Each of the more than 50 claims that have been filed tells an individual story of someone who was brutalized by federal agents. Together, they reveal a widespread pattern of civil rights violations and abuse carried out by officials nationwide, affecting people who are immigrants, U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, families, workers, and people exercising their constitutional rights.
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