Several federal agents rushed the site of a minor car accident in Washington D.C. as Donald Trump announced a federal takeover of the district.
About 450 federal officers patrolled D.C. late Sunday night into early Monday morning as part of a move the Trump administration claims is to combat crime in the city.
According to a report from NPR, the militarization of the city is already creating chaos.
The outlet reported that on Sunday night, nearly two dozen federal agents, some wearing masks and at least one carrying a rifle, rushed the site of a minor accident between a moped and a car at an intersection as confused residents looked on. Local D.C. Metropolitan police were already on scene.
The unnecessarily forceful response of federal agents to a fender bender came one day before Trump officially announced he is placing Washington, DC’s, police department “under direct federal control”.
Trump also activated 800 soldiers from the DC National Guard, with up to 200 assigned to support law enforcement, according to the Defense Department.
He argued that the unprecedented step was necessary due to out of control crime in the city following the attack on a former DOGE staffer.
However, despite Trump claims about a surge in violent crime in DC, data shows it is at a 30 year low.
Violent crime overall is down 26% this year compared to the same point in 2024, and robbery is down 28%, according to the DC Metro police.
