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National Guard member deployed to DC accused of pulling gun on fellow soldier in dispute over hair regulations

A member of the Georgia National Guard assigned to the task force patrolling Washington, DC, is facing assault and gun charges after he was accused of pulling his firearm on a fellow soldier during an argument last month.

CNNMichael Williams2026-09-08 18:06查看原文 ↗

一名被派往华盛顿特区的国民警卫队成员被指控因发型规定与另一名士兵发生争执，并拔枪指向对方。

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Zion Mitchell, 21, faces charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm during a dangerous crime. He’s being held in the DC Jail.

Mitchell’s attorney, Gregory Copeland, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. CNN has also reached out to the task force for comment.

According to court records, Mitchell and other soldiers were sitting in a van outside a Popeye’s on H Street Northeast on August 25 when an argument started about whether the soldiers’ hairstyles followed Army regulations.

One witness told detectives that Mitchell told the soldier he was arguing with that he would “slap the Jackson 5 out of you.” It’s not clear what that comment meant.

One soldier told detectives she heard a clicking noise after telling Mitchell to shut up and believed he had unclicked his holster. Other soldiers in the van later told police that Mitchell had drawn his weapon. One of the soldiers told detectives they saw Mitchell point his handgun at the solider he was arguing with.

A year into the National Guard’s deployment in DC, has crime actually gone down?

Mitchell initially said during an interview with detectives that he pulled a pistol magazine out of his vest and pointed it at one of the soldiers during a playful argument. He later recanted his statement and said he pulled out his pistol and pointed it toward the soldier, but said the gun was aiming downward and not at the soldier’s head, according to court records.

A judge ordered Mitchell to be held in preventative detention without a cash bond due to the nature of the alleged crimes. His next court appearance is September 15.

National Guard troops from several states have been patrolling Washington, DC for more than a year after President Donald Trump declared a public safety emergency because of what he described as an out-of-control crime problem in DC.

Data showed, however, that violent crime reached decade lows in the city even before Trump’s deployment. The president also surged members of federal law enforcement to patrol the city alongside DC police officers.

Eight hundred soldiers were initially deployed to patrol the capital — a number that has grown to the thousands. The soldiers have become a part of life in DC, patrolling Metro stations, tourist attractions and neighborhoods throughout the city.

City crime rates this year are generally lower than they were last year. Total crime rates have fallen by 17%, homicides are down by 30% and robberies are down by 10%, according to data kept by the Metropolitan Police Department.

There are some outliers to the lower rates. Rates of violent crime rates are slightly higher than last year at 6%.

Another exception to the lower rates: reported incidents of assault with a dangerous weapon — the same crime Mitchell is accused of — are up 40% from last year.

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

一名被派往华盛顿特区巡逻特遣队的佐治亚州国民警卫队成员，因上个月在与一名战友发生争执时拔枪指向对方，面临袭击和枪支指控。

21岁的锡安·米切尔面临使用危险武器袭击和在实施危险犯罪期间持有枪支的指控。他目前被关押在华盛顿特区监狱。

米切尔的律师格雷戈里·科普兰尚未回复记者的置评请求邮件。CNN也已联系调查组寻求置评。

根据法庭记录，8 月 25 日，米切尔和其他士兵坐在东北 H 街一家 Popeye's 快餐店外的一辆面包车里，当时他们就士兵们的发型是否符合军队规定发生了争执。

一名目击者告诉侦探，米切尔曾对与他争吵的士兵说，他会“把你打得像杰克逊五兄弟一样惨”。目前尚不清楚这句话是什么意思。

一名士兵告诉侦探，她让米切尔闭嘴后，听到一声咔哒声，认为他解开了枪套。车上的其他士兵后来告诉警方，米切尔拔出了枪。其中一名士兵告诉侦探，他看到米切尔用手枪指着和他争吵的士兵。

国民警卫队在华盛顿特区部署一年后，犯罪率真的下降了吗？

米切尔最初在接受侦探讯问时称，在与一名士兵嬉闹争执时，他从背心口袋里掏出一个手枪弹匣，指向了该士兵。但根据法庭记录，他后来推翻了之前的说法，称自己确实拔出了手枪并指向了该士兵，但枪口朝下，并非瞄准士兵的头部。

鉴于所指控罪行的性质，法官下令将米切尔预防性拘留，不得缴纳现金保释金。他下次出庭日期为9月15日。

在唐纳德·特朗普总统宣布华盛顿特区进入公共安全紧急状态后，来自多个州的国民警卫队士兵已在华盛顿特区巡逻一年多。特朗普总统称华盛顿特区的犯罪问题失控。

然而，数据显示，在特朗普部署联邦执法人员之前，该市的暴力犯罪率已降至十年来的最低水平。总统还增派联邦执法人员与华盛顿特区警察一起在该市巡逻。