By GARY FIELDS
WASHINGTON (AP) — A member of the Georgia National Guard deployed in Washington, D.C., as part of President Donald Trump’s task force to fight crime has been arrested for pulling a gun on a fellow Guard member in an alleged dispute over regulation haircuts.
Zion Mitchell, 21, was arrested earlier this month and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm while committing a crime of violence or dangerous crime — both felonies — in connection with an Aug. 25 incident that occurred when a group of the Guard troops took a break, according to a Metropolitan Police Department report.
The arrest warrant said Mitchell and the fellow guard member, a woman, were sitting in a van when they began arguing over whether their hairstyles met Army regulations. The argument went back and forth until she heard a holster click and thought Mitchell had opened his holster.
She learned from fellow Guard members after getting out of the van that a weapon had been drawn and pointed at her. She told the investigating MPD officer that she assumed the gun was loaded since all National Guard firearms are generally loaded.
Mitchell was arrested Sept. 1.
A request for comment from the Joint Task Force on the soldier’s status was not immediately answered.
The presence of National Guard members in Washington has been contentious since August 2025, when Trump issued an emergency order because of what he said was out-of-control crime.
The local National Guard was activated and deployed to the streets, along with hundreds of federal law enforcement officers and agents. Trump also took control, briefly, of the local police department. States, all led by Republican governors, sent members of their Guard forces as well.
The deployment has been extended until January 2029.
There are more than 3,100 guard members, from 18 states, Puerto Rico and D.C. still operating in the city as part of the task force. More than 5,000 were in the city for Freedom 250 events in July and August.
Georgia has the second largest contingent with 531 personnel, as of Sept. 8.
That participation has sparked anger among some in Washington who say the troops are here illegally and not lowering serious crimes.
Over the months, Guard members have responded to medical emergencies, assisted with arrests, helped local police enforce the city’s juvenile curfew and carried out beautification projects. The D.C. Guard helped with snow removal during a major storm in January.