A National Guard member deployed to Washington, DC, is arrested on firearms charge

WASHINGTON (AP) — A National Guard member deployed to Washington, D.C., as part of a mission launched by President Donald Trump has been arrested for carrying an unauthorized firearm after a traffic stop by U.S. Park Police.

Spec. Jakob Noonan, 22, of the Oklahoma Guard, was arrested Monday and charged with the gun-related offense. According to documents reviewed by The Associated Press, the soldier was riding with a fellow Guard member when a U.S. Park Police officer stopped the vehicle for an expired tag.

Noonan’s arrest marks the second time in two months that a member of the task force has been arrested.

The presence of National Guard members in Washington has been contentious since the deployment began in August 2025, when Trump issued an emergency order because of what he said was out-of-control crime. Many local officials and residents view the deployment as a waste of taxpayer money that has normalized a military presence in an American city.

The U.S. Park Police said in an emailed statement that the officer observed an empty holster in the rear of the vehicle and asked if there was a firearm inside and Noonan confirmed there was. Noonan was off duty, not in uniform and driving his personal vehicle at the time, the statement said.

The Joint Task Force that oversees the Guard deployment did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to law enforcement statements filed with the arrest, the Guard members were in a Honda SUV when it was stopped. Several of the officers who responded spotted the pistol, the court paper said.

One officer said the soldier told authorities he was temporarily living in D.C. as part of the National Guard operation and said Oklahoma was an open-carry state and that the firearm was registered to him there. He acknowledged he did not have a valid District of Columbia concealed-carry permit, the statement said, a point confirmed by a records check.

According to the complaint, Noonan was charged with carrying a pistol without a license.

Noonan had his first court appearance on Sept. 29 in D.C. Superior Court. A phone call left at the main number of the Superior Court public defender’s office to reach his court-appointed attorney was not returned. An email to the attorney was not immediately answered.

In August, Georgia National Guard member Zion Mitchell was arrested and later charged after he allegedly pulled a gun on a fellow Guard member in an apparent dispute over regulation haircuts.

Over the summer, more than 5,000 troops were in the nation’s capital during the celebrations for America’s 250th anniversary. The number has since been scaled down to around 3,000.

The Guard members have supported law enforcement in arrest operations and have also engaged in beautification projects and snow removal.

The deployment has been extended until January 2029.