Metropolitan Police (MPD) charged a 21-year-old Army National Guard member with two felonies on Sept. 2 after he allegedly pointed a loaded service weapon at a fellow Guardswoman during an argument outside an H Street NE restaurant. The incident occurred on Aug. 25 at around 11:30 a.m., according to DC Superior Court records.
The confrontation occurred as eight Guardsmen sat in a black van outside the Popeyes at 1226 H St. NE, taking a break from a walking patrol, according to an arrest-warrant affidavit filed by Metropolitan Police Department Detective (MPD) Jacob Krycia.
The affidavit says the guardsman and the alleged victim, a woman, argued about their hairstyles and compliance with Army regulations. During the exchange, the suspect allegedly said he would “slap the Jackson 5” out of her. After she told him to be quiet, she heard what she described as a holster clicking open. Another soldier told the suspect to put the weapon away and that witness told the suspect he had nearly shot her in the hand, the affidavit states.
The alleged victim told police she did not see Mitchell draw the pistol. Two other soldiers, however, told detectives they saw him point it in her direction over the shoulder of another guardsperson. One said Mitchell responded to a warning from another witness by saying that the pistol was “on safe”. That witness told police the weapon was loaded with a round in the chamber, as the witnesses said guardsmen’s weapons generally are.
MPD detectives interviewed the group the following morning at the DC Armory (2001 E. Capitol St. NE) on Aug. 26, after a National Guard liaison reported the incident, according to the affidavit. Investigators wrote that the suspect initially said he had pointed a pistol magazine during “playful banter”. He later acknowledged drawing the pistol and pointing it toward the woman, but said the muzzle was angled about 45 degrees downward rather than at her head, the affidavit alleges.
A DC Superior Court Judge approved an arrest warrant Sept. 1. Court records indicate the suspect was arrested the next day. The US Attorney for DC said a preliminary hearing was set for Sept. 4, but defendant waived that preliminary hearing and remained held following the hearing. There is a status hearing set on Sept. 15, The Office of the US Attorney for the District of Columbia (USA-DC) added. “The case is being prosecuted consistent with all DC violent crime cases and remains under investigation,” said Timothy Lauer, Executive Director of External Affairs for the Department of Justice.
USA-DC has charged the guardsman from Georgia with assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. Court papers reviewed for this story do not identify the alleged perpetrator’s unit or state Guard affiliation, or say whether the pistol was discharged or report any injuries. The National Guard, via the DC Joint Task Force, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Court flings indicate the soldier is being held without bond “due to the nature of the crimes.”
The allegation raises new questions about weapons handling and supervision during a deployment in which armed soldiers conduct “presence patrols” intended to deter crime. When troops began carrying M17 pistols or M4 rifles in August 2025, Joint Task Force-District of Columbia said force would be used only as a last resort in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm.
Other incidents have sharpened scrutiny of the mission. Reuters reported Aug. 19 that DC police had arrested two off-duty soldiers for alleged violations of District firearms laws, although prosecutors later dropped both cases. But, the news service also found 62 court cases in which troops were allegedly pushed, punched, spat on or threatened, aside from the November 2025 ambush that killed West Virginia Army National Guard Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and seriously wounded Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe.
According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), deploying a single member of the National Guard costs about $600 per day. The Department of Defense estimated the total cost of deployment of an average of 2,500 troops until January 2029 would cost $1.4 billion, but that was before troop strength was doubled to about 5,000 members in May 2026.
This is an updating story.
