Nearly 70 arrests were made in Washington, D.C. Saturday (August 16) night after President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to patrol the city last week.
A total 68 individuals were detained overnight, which included 15 illegal firearms being seized, as well as charges for aggravated assault, assault on a police officer, resisting arrest fugitive from justice, felony grand larceny, possession of a controlled substance fleeing from law enforcement and driving with a revoked permit, the White House confirmed to FOX News. Three homeless encampments were also reported to be cleared on Saturday.
No arrests were recorded, however, the arrests were reported to have taken place without incident. White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers claimed that President Trump was “quickly making our nation’s capital safer.”
“In less than ten days, over 300 dangerous criminals have already been arrested and taken off the streets of Washington, D.C.,” Rogers said via FOX News.
Trump announced his decision invoke to the D.C. home Rule Act to place the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under direct federal control and deploy members of the National Guard to the city last Monday (August 11). The president claimed that Washington, D.C., had been “overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people” while announcing his “Liberation Day” decision.
Trump claimed that his administration was “not going to let it happen anymore” and vowed to remove homeless encampments from all public places, which includes parks and underpasses. Recent DC Metropolitan Police Department data showed that Washington D.C. has experienced a 26% drop in violent crime compared to 2025, with overall crime down 7% in the last year, according to the New York Post. Trump, however, downplayed the numbers as “phony” and claimed Attorney General Pam Bondi was “looking into that.”
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