Three National Guard members patrol near Nationals Park in Washington on Aug. 19, 2025. Approximately 800 Guard troops are deployed throughout the city. (Joseph Spraktes/U.S. Army)
WASHINGTON — A National Guard vehicle was involved in a car crash on Wednesday morning near Capitol Hill as troops expand their operations throughout the city as part of President Donald Trump’s initiative to crack down on crime, military officials said.
The crash occurred at about 6:14 a.m. and involved a D.C. National Guard all-terrain vehicle and a civilian vehicle at the intersection of 8th Street SE and North Carolina Avenue, according to the Joint Task Force-District of Columbia.
The driver in the civilian vehicle was extricated and transported to hospital with minor injuries, DC Fire spokesman Vito Maggiolo said in a statement.
An investigation into the incident is ongoing, the joint task force said.
Army Col. Lawrence Doane, commander of the DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force, stands outside Nationals Park in Washington on Aug. 19, 2025. (Joseph Spraktes/U.S. Army)
Trump last week ordered 800 D.C. National Guard troops to deploy throughout the city to help curtail crime in the nation’s capital. Troops began 24-hour operations on Thursday. The Guard troops have mostly been seen outside of Union Station and on the National Mall. But their mission has expanded to include 10 Metro stations in support of transit police, the Joint Task Force said.
The Pentagon has been providing news releases highlighting efforts of the National Guard. One photo spotlighted Army 2nd Lt. Harry Siegel patrolling Nationals Park on Tuesday night during the Washington Nationals game against the New York Mets.
Another focused on Army Spc. Tra’shwn Parham and Capt. Giho Yang, who were patrolling the Waterfront Metro Station on Monday. Parham said she saw and overheard a civilian brandishing a knife and making verbal threats. She immediately called the Metropolitan Police Department who responded to the incident, the release said.
“In just the past nine days, we’ve seen a 35% reduction in violent crime. We’ve seen over a 50% reduction in robberies,” Vice President JD Vance told reporters without sighting a source for the data.
From left, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance greet members of the National Guard at Union Station in Washington on Aug. 20, 2025. (Al Drago/Pool photo via AP)
Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Stephen Miller, serving as homeland security adviser and deputy chief of staff for policy at the White House, visited Union Station on Wednesday to speak with Guard members and speak about the administration’s efforts.
All three officials spoke as troops stood around them. Protesters could be heard shouting “free D.C.” At times, it was difficult to hear the officials over the protesters.
“We’re going to ignore these stupid white hippies that all need to go home because they’re all over 90 years old, and we’re going to get back to the business of protecting the American people and the citizens of Washington, D.C.,” Miller said.
The D.C. National Guard reported Monday that it had 896 Army and Air National Guard members deployed in Washington. Six Republican-led states also have agreed to send more than 1,100 troops collectively to Washington as part of Trump’s effort to combat crime in the city. Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana were the latest to approve troops after West Virginia, Ohio and South Carolina.
D.C. police data indicates violent crime has decreased 26% compared to last year. The D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office also announced in January that violent crime in the city in 2024 was at a 30-year low, citing police data.
But Trump said Monday in a post on Truth Social that Washington officials “gave fake crime numbers in order to create a false illusion of safety.”
The Justice Department is investigating whether D.C. police manipulated data to make crime rates appear lower, The Washington Post reported.
