Key facts
- Georgia National Guard member Zion Mitchell was arrested on September 1.
- Mitchell is accused of drawing a gun on a fellow Guard member on August 25.
- The incident reportedly stemmed from an argument over hairstyles not meeting Army regulations.
- Mitchell faces a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon.
- The National Guard has been deployed in Washington D.C. since August 2025 as part of a crime task force.
A member of the Georgia National Guard, Zion Mitchell, 21, has been arrested and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon in Washington D.C. The arrest stems from an alleged incident on August 25 where Mitchell is accused of drawing a gun on a fellow Guard member during an argument over whether their hairstyles met Army regulations. The victim reported hearing a holster click and later learned a weapon had been drawn and pointed at her, assuming it was loaded.
Mitchell was arrested on September 1. The Joint Task Force has not immediately responded to a request for comment on the soldier's status. The presence of National Guard members in Washington has been a point of contention since August 2025, when President Donald Trump issued an emergency order to address crime. The deployment has been extended until January 2029, with over 3,100 Guard members from various states, Puerto Rico, and D.C. currently operating in the city. Georgia has the second-largest contingent with 531 personnel as of September 8. Some residents have expressed anger over the deployment, questioning its effectiveness in lowering serious crimes.