A man has been charged with felony assault for allegedly spitting on two South Carolina Army National Guard soldiers who were in Washington, DC, as part of President Donald Trump’s anti-crime efforts in the city.
According to a statement of facts submitted to court by an FBI agent, an Amtrak Police officer saw Scott Pichon approach the two National Guard soldiers on a scooter outside Union Station on Friday afternoon. Pichon allegedly made “a noise like he was coughing up mucus” and then spit a mix of saliva and mucus, which landed on one soldier’s face and the other’s neck.
On Tuesday, a deputy US marshal arrested Pichon, who has been licensed to practice law in Maryland since 2019, according to state bar records, on a federal warrant.
Court documents also show that a security camera recorded the alleged assault.
The charge comes as Trump has intensified his crackdown on crime in Washington, DC. Earlier this month, he took control of the city’s police department and deployed the DC National Guard.
Since then, South Carolina and five other GOP-led states have sent National Guard troops to help federal law enforcement in the capital. Last week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered the troops to start carrying weapons.
The president has repeatedly expressed concern about rising crime in DC, even though overall crime numbers are lower this year than in 2024.
Trump’s actions have been very unpopular with DC residents. A Washington Post-Schar School poll released last week showed that about 8 in 10 residents oppose Trump’s decision to take control of the city’s police department and deploy the National Guard and FBI to patrol the streets.
Earlier this month, another man, Sean Charles Dunn, was arrested and charged with felony assault for allegedly throwing a sandwich at a US Customs and Border Protection officer. Dunn, who worked at the Justice Department and was fired after the incident, reportedly yelled at the officer, “I don’t want you in my city!”
