An Army veteran who served in Iraq was subdued and apprehended by three National Guardsmen during an incident last month in Washington, D.C., that was captured on video and recently posted online by a local community group.
Posted by Free DC, the roughly 2-minute video shows a woman telling the National Guardsmen to get away from her and that they have no authority to detain her. Two Guardsmen eventually force her to the ground and restrain her while she yells at them to get off of her.
The woman shown in the video is Anna King, said her attorney, who confirmed to Task & Purpose that the footage is authentic.
King served in the Army from 2005 to 2009 and left the service as a captain, according to her DD-214, which was provided to Task & Purpose. The document lists her military occupational speciality as psychological operations. Her awards include the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, the Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, and Combat Action Badge.
She has pleaded not guilty to assault charges in connection with the incident, court records show.
National Guard tackle and handcuff woman in DC
Joint Task Force–District of Columbia, which oversees the current National Guard operation in the capital, issued a statement that it “is aware of the video circulating on social media.”
“During the National Guard service members’ patrol, the service members recognized a suspect from a previous assault against National Guard service members in the District,” the spokesperson said in a statement to Task & Purpose.
“The service members detained the suspect and notified the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), who quickly responded and arrested the suspect. Any questions related to the investigation should be referred to MPD.”
A Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson confirmed that King, 44, was arrested on May 8 after being detained by National Guardsmen, who believed she had been involved in a previous incident.
King has been charged with two counts of assault on a police officer for allegedly assaulting two National Guardsmen, who were deputized by the U.S. Marshals Service, while she was being detained, the police spokesperson said.
King is accused of punching one Guardsman and kicking another in the groin, according to court records.
After she was detained, three other National Guardsmen identified King as the person who threw an unknown liquid on them on May 6, court records show.
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King declined to provide a statement for this story, said her attorney, Tonya Michelle Harris.
Harris told Task & Purpose that the National Guardsmen involved in the May 8 incident entered private property without a warrant.
“Ms. King was at her own residence, and she did not invite the Guardsmen onto her property,” Harris said. “The law is very clear about what a traditional officer needs in order to come onto a person’s property to effect an arrest. You need a warrant.”
Although she is a renter, King still has the lawful right to tell people they need to leave her home, said Harris, who added that the National Guardsmen would have also needed a warrant to enter private property because they were not present for the May 6 incident.
“The video is very clear that he’s on her property — the officer, the Guardsmen, rather — come on,” Harris said. “She’s asking them to leave. She did herself try to remove herself from that situation. Even if the National Guard have police power, they are still subject to the law that all officers are required to follow — and I believe the video is clear: They did not follow the law in effectuating her arrest.”
