A 28-year-old man was released from custody in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, days after his arrest for allegedly aiming a simulated firearm at a National Guard service member stationed near the White House.
According to an arrest affidavit filed Monday, William Clark made a “shooting gesture with a finger gun” toward a van driven by a uniformed guardsman on a street bordering the White House ellipse. The guardsman and other nearby troops detained Clark until Metropolitan Police Department officers arrived.
Police initially arrested Clark on charges of “threats in a menacing manner and assault on a police officer,” but court records from a Nov. 3 filing show he was formally charged only with “assault or threatened assault in a menacing manner,” a misdemeanor. No separate charge for assaulting an officer was listed.
Under D.C. law, the misdemeanor carries a maximum sentence of 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.
The incident comes as the National Guard maintains a persistent presence in the nation’s capital—a deployment that has drawn sharp criticism from local officials and Democratic lawmakers. During Tuesday’s midterm elections, Guard members were dispatched to at least seven states, primarily to monitor ballot boxes and support election security operations.
Critics have dismissed the deployments as unnecessary, costly, and lacking a coherent strategy. They have also rejected President Trump’s claim that the Guard has significantly reduced crime in Washington, noting that Guard members cannot make arrests and have not been stationed in high-crime neighborhoods.
A Guard official previously confirmed to The Hill that the Pentagon expects to keep National Guard forces in D.C. until Inauguration Day 2029. This extended presence has fueled ongoing debates about the militarization of the capital and the appropriate role of the military in domestic security.
The latest arrest adds to a string of security incidents involving Guard members in D.C. In October, one guardsman was shot in the leg while intervening in a fight. Last year, two others were shot blocks from the White House, one fatally.
Clark’s release does not dismiss the charge; he is expected to appear in court at a later date. The case highlights the heightened sensitivity of security protocols around the White House and the legal gray areas surrounding simulated threats.
