Man arrested near White House for making ‘finger gun’ gesture at National Guard

A man was released from custody in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday after being arrested just days earlier for allegedly making a “finger gun” gesture at a National Guard member near the White House.

According to Monday’s arrest affidavit, 28-year-old William Clark reportedly made “a shooting gesture with a finger gun” toward a van that a uniformed guard member was driving on a street lining the Ellipse. The service member and other nearby troops then detained Clark before D.C. Metropolitan Police Department officers arrived on scene.

Metro Police arrested Clark for “threats in a menacing manner and assault on a police officer,” according to the affidavit.

A Tuesday court filing shows he was charged with “assault or threatened assault in a menacing manner,” which is a misdemeanor, but does not mention any separate charges for assault against a law enforcement officer.

The “threatened assault in a menacing manner” charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 180 days in prison or an $1,000 fine, per D.C. law.

The National Guard has had a presence in the nation’s capital for more than a year, though guard members were recently deployed to at least seven states during the midterm elections — primarily for monitoring ballot boxes and assisting in election security efforts.

Their presence at the polls and in Washington has not gone over well with local officials or Democratic lawmakers, who have said the deployment is unnecessary, costly and lacking a clear strategy. Critics have also rejected President Trump’s argument that the National Guard has significantly reduced crime in the capital, arguing guard members can’t make arrests and haven’t been stationed in high crime areas.

A guard official previously confirmed to The Hill that the Pentagon is expected to keep National Guard troops in Washington until Inauguration Day 2029.

In October, one guard member was shot in the leg while trying to break up a fight in Washington. Last year, two more were shot blocks away from the White House, killing one and critically wounding the other.