Video shows National Guard members detaining woman. Here's what we know

In early June 2026, social media users shared a video (archived) they claimed shows three National Guard members in Washington, D.C., throwing a woman to the ground and arresting her for holding a sign on her own front porch. 

The video circulated online shortly after federal officials announced they would double the National Guard's presence in D.C. to 5,000 personnel ahead of the United States' 250th birthday. President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to D.C. in August 2025 as part of an effort that he said was aimed at curbing crime. 

In the video shared on social media, a woman sits on a yellow bench. After a cut, she is seen holding a sign as three people in uniform, who appear to be National Guard members, surround her. A frame-by-frame analysis showed that the woman's sign, which is visible at the 17-second mark, read "Trump out, F*** ICE." The cut obscures the moment that the apparent National Guard members approach the woman.

The woman then tells the three to get away from her and that they have "absolutely no authority to detain" her. After a brief verbal escalation, the three wrestle the woman to the ground and handcuff her. She is yelling profusely throughout the video. At the end of the video, the woman is heard claiming that National Guard personnel "came onto her property." 

Snopes readers wrote in looking for more information about the video, which was reportedly sent to a website called Film the Police DC on June 2.

We confirmed that the video is authentic and shows National Guard personnel detaining a woman, whom the Metropolitan Police Department later identified as 44-year-old Army veteran Anna King, in the Truxton Circle neighborhood.

As part of our reporting we contacted the National Guard, the Metropolitan Police, the nonprofit organizations who originally shared the video on social media and King's lawyer for comment on the story. 

In statements to Snopes, both the District of Columbia Joint Task Force — to which the National Guard referred us — and Metropolitan Police claimed King assaulted National Guard personnel before the detainment shown on video, suggesting she was not arrested simply for holding a sign. The assault allegation is also outlined in court documents, though Snopes could not independently corroborate the account of the altercation.

We had not heard back from anyone who could provide King's account by the time of publication. 

Because federal officials have repeatedly provided statements about arrests that contradict available evidence, and the moment where National Guard personnel approached King is missing from the footage shared online, Snopes has elected not to apply a rating to this story until we can independently confirm the events leading up to her arrest through video footage, eyewitness interviews or anyone who can provide King's side of the story. 

Geolocating the video to D.C. neighborhood

The footage of King's detainment was originally posted on social media by Film the Police DC, the nonprofit organizations Free DC and Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network, and the community defense organization Harriet's Wildest Dreams. Film the Police DC is a joint project between Harriet's Wildest Dreams and the Migrant Solidarity Mutual Aid Network, according to its website. It's unclear who provided the organizations with the footage.

We reached out to the above organizations to request more information about the incident, including why the National Guard members approached King, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Snopes geolocated the video to an exact address in D.C.'s Truxton Circle neighborhood, confirming comments that it was filmed there.

We first noticed that the street visible in the background of the video had at least three lanes of traffic. Google Maps' satellite imagery revealed only a few roads in the neighborhood with that many lanes, greatly reducing the number of possible locations. Next, the video showed a unique concrete median with plastic bollards, which narrowed the location to exactly one block on New York Avenue. From there, we were able to match the sidewalk planters, details on the building facades and parking signs to pinpoint the exact address.

The government's explanation

The National Guard referred our request for comment on the incident to the District of Columbia Joint Task Force, which told Snopes via email that the woman was a suspect "from a previous assault against National Guard service members in the District." After National Guard personnel detained the woman, they notified Metropolitan Police, "who quickly responded and arrested the suspect," the task force said. 

The Department of Defense website notes that National Guard personnel are not legally allowed to make arrests themselves, despite online claims. They can only "temporarily detain individuals to prevent imminent harm, ensuring that custody is promptly transferred to law enforcement authorities," the DOD says.

The task force did not confirm the woman's identity or provide additional details about the alleged assault, and directed further questions to the Metropolitan Police Department.

Metropolitan Police's statement to Snopes identified King as the woman arrested, claiming she had assaulted National Guard members on May 6, 2026, before fleeing. According to police, King also allegedly assaulted two National Guard members while being detained May 8 — the incident shown in the video. 

Neither the task force nor Metropolitan Police provided further information about the alleged previous assault. 

According to court documents, the previous assault occurred when King allegedly threw an "unknown liquid" onto three National Guard members. (The three National Guard members from the May 6 incident all separately identified King as the person who threw liquid at them after she was detained on May 8.) As of this writing, there was no evidence King had been charged for her alleged actions on May 6.

The documents also claimed that while King was being detained on May 8, she punched on National Guard member in the chest or shoulder and kicked another in the groin, causing minor pain to both. 

The footage does not clearly show the alleged incidents described in the court records. The closest thing Snopes found was King smacking the back of one National Guard member with her sign at the 16-second mark.

"As a result of the investigation, 44-year-old Anna King of Northwest, D.C., was charged with two counts of Assault on A Police Officer for assaulting National Guard service members, who were deputized by the United States Marshals Service," the Metropolitan Police statement read. Those charges were related to King's alleged actions on May 8, according to court documents.

According to an article published by the online military publication Task and Purpose, which spoke to King's lawyer, she is a 44-year-old Army veteran who served in Iraq. King could be heard claiming in the video that the National Guard was stepping on to her property and did not have the jurisdiction to detain her. 

D.C. property records showed that King rented, not owned, the property, a detail that her lawyer confirmed to Task and Purpose. King's lawyer also claimed that the law makes no difference between the two and that the National Guard members still needed a warrant to come onto her property. 

For further reading, we compiled 10 rumors about the National Guard that we've investigated over the years.