DC protester seeks monetary damages linked to low-flying National Guard choppers

One of the protesters who was demonstrating in D.C. on a night when the military was captured on video flying helicopters closely over crowds is seeking financial compensation for physical and mental injuries.

In an administrative claim filed with the D.C. National Guard, the American Civil Liberties Union said the actions on the night of June 1 “caused harmful or offensive bodily contact, and inflicted severe emotional distress through extreme and outrageous conduct” to their client.

Social media videos posted that evening reveal at least two military choppers hovering over parts of D.C., where hours earlier, authorities cleared an area near Lafayette Square.

The complaint from the ACLU of D.C. said 23-year old Dzhuliya Dashtamirova, who traveled to D.C from Baltimore that day to demonstrate, suffered injuries to her body and face when one of the aircrafts kicked up debris over 7th Street near Gallery Place. She experienced eye irritation for days following the incident.

“My eyes and skin were burning from all the debris flying everywhere. I couldn’t see anything,” Dashtamirova said in a separate written statement from the ACLU. “I was afraid that troops would storm out of the helicopter and tear gas me or shoot me with rubber bullets.”

For several weeks afterward, the ACLU alleges Dashtamirova also “lost sleep, struggled to concentrate at work, and spent hours trying to process the incident and grapple with her fears that it would occur again.”

“This was a dangerous, unprecedented show of force against American civilians exercising their First Amendment rights,” said ACLU attorney Michael Perloff. “The streets of D.C. are not a war zone, and protesters are not the enemy. Our government should stop treating them that way.”

The D.C. National Guard was already investigating the evening in question, during which a Lakota with a red cross medical evacuation insignia and a Blackhawk began to circle closely over the demonstrators between Gallery Place and Judiciary Square.

The claim is seeking $200,000 in damages under the Federal Tort Reform Claims Act.

The D.C. National Guard hasn’t returned WTOP’s request for comment.

WTOP has not immediately heard back from the D.C. National Guard for comment on the claim.

Members of the National Guard block an intersection on Monday night. (Photo by Joshua Roberts/Getty Images)

Protesters holds their hands up as a military helicopter flies low pushing a strong vertical down wash of air (rotor wash) onto the crowd during a protest over the death of George Floyd on June 1, 2020. – President Donald Trump vowed Monday to order a military crackdown on once-in-a-generation violent protests gripping the United States, saying he was sending thousands of troops onto the streets of the capital and threatening to deploy soldiers to states unable to regain control. (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT / AFP) (Photo by ROBERTO SCHMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)

https://twitter.com/jackiebensen/status/1267647941017243648?s=20

D.C. Police hold a line along M Street, blocking a group of protesters on Pennsylvania Avenue from entering Georgetown. (WTOP/Dave Dildine)

Police blocked a group of protesters between 14th and 15th St. NW at Swann St. (WTOP/Ken Duffy)

Police have pinned us down at 15th St & Swann St NW. Several flash bangs used earlier to disperse the crowd. Very tense. #dcprotest pic.twitter.com/mZvWKJpFXX
— Ken Duffy (@kenduffynews) June 2, 2020

Helicopters flew low late on Monday night in D.C.’s Chinatown neighborhood after a small number of demonstrators moved into the area. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Demonstrators wait in a police vehicle after being taken into custody as they protested the death of George Floyd, Monday, June 1, 2020, near the White House in Washington. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers. The arrests occurred after a curfew went into effect in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

With tears in her eyes, a demonstrator is taken into custody by police after a curfew took effect during a protest over the death of George Floyd, Monday, June 1, 2020, near the White House in Washington. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Demonstrators react as a helicopter circles low as people gather to protest the death of George Floyd, Monday, June 1, 2020, near the White House in Washington. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

A military Humvee blocks an intersection along K Street in downtown Washington as demonstrators protest the death of George Floyd, Monday, June 1, 2020, in Washington. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump walks from the White House through Lafayette Park to visit St. John’s Church Monday, June 1, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

AP Photo/Patrick Semansky

President Donald Trump holds a Bible as he visits outside St. John’s Church across Lafayette Park from the White House Monday, June 1, 2020, in Washington. Park of the church was set on fire during protests on Sunday night. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

AP Photo/Patrick Semansky