Author | Lightnews

Mitch Ryals @mitchryals.bsky.social · 7h

Another oddity: MPD did not provide the body camera footage of the incident—not even to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, which must decide if there’s sufficient evidence to bring charges.

The footage still has not been released to Brown’s lawyers; prosecutors told her it’s “locked down.”

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Mitch Ryals @mitchryals.bsky.social · 7h

The driver, Phillip Brown, wasn't hit by any bullets, but one ripped through the collar of his jacket, and two others pierced his passenger seat.

He was charged with fleeing from law enforcement and spent four days in jail before a judge dismissed the case for lack of probable cause.

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Mitch Ryals @mitchryals.bsky.social · 7h

A Homeland Security Investigations agent shot at an unarmed Black man during a traffic stop on Oct. 17. But a @dcpolicedept.bsky.social officer omitted any mention of the shooting from his reports, apparently under instruction from a "team leader."

washingtoncitypaper.com/article/7732...

A Federal Agent Shot at a Driver in D.C. An MPD Officer Was Told To Omit the Shooting from His Report.

An HSI agent fired three times into a vehicle police claimed was trying to flee. The charges were dismissed during a preliminary hearing.

washingtoncitypaper.com

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Reposted by Mitch Ryals

Tanya Paperny @tpaperny.bsky.social · 25d

Debut column about overlooked historic sites in and around DC. Let me know what you think, and do share ideas for future sites! Thanks to @mitchryals.bsky.social for the sharp edits and the COUNTLESS people across DC who helped me tell this amazing story.

Washington City Paper @wcp.bsky.social · 25d

There’s a 140-year-old farmhouse in Northeast D.C. known as the Sherwood Farmhouse. It’s been home to farmers, nuns, Jesuit radicals, and Howard theologians. Now vacant for a decade, its legacy is one of happy accidents, preservation efforts, and interracial activism. Tanya Paperny tells its story:

On Places: The Inhabitants of Sherwood Farmhouse Represent a Microcosm of D.C. History

Brookland’s Sherwood Farmhouse, built in 1885, has stood vacant since 2015, hidden from public view. It survives thanks to practical necessity, happy accidents, intentional preservation, and…

buff.ly

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Mitch Ryals @mitchryals.bsky.social · Sep 17

King was testifying on behalf of his friend, Officer Peter McCauley, who led a VA state trooper on a high speed chase in his Tesla, reaching up to 119 mph. MPD wants to fire McCauley. King asked them to show leniency. "The same grace we show civilians, we gotta give to ourselves."

Mitch Ryals @mitchryals.bsky.social · Sep 17

Asked how he would feel about getting a ticket from a cop who was convicted of reckless driving, King basically shrugged it off: "But it’s the same situation if an officer got a DUI or used excessive force. I’m not going to pretend the department is without sin, or I’m without sin."

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Mitch Ryals @mitchryals.bsky.social · Sep 17

King told the disciplinary panel of MPD brass that he is known for "not taking a lot of shit on the streets."

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Mitch Ryals @mitchryals.bsky.social · Sep 17

@dcpolicedept.bsky.social Officer Trevon King is charged with DWI, driving on a suspended license and sexual battery. He recently testified as a character witness on behalf of fellow officer who the department is trying to fire.

washingtoncitypaper.com/article/7698...

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Mitch Ryals @mitchryals.bsky.social · Sep 17

When asked how he would feel about getting a ticket from a cop convicted of reckless driving, King basically shrugged it off.

"It's the same situation if an officer got a DUI or used excessive force. I'm not going to pretend the department is without sin, or I'm without sin."

Mitch Ryals @mitchryals.bsky.social · Sep 17

In his testimony, King acknowledged to a panel of MPD brass that he is known for "not taking a lot of shit on the street," and advocated for leniency for his friend.

washingtoncitypaper.com/article/7698...

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Reposted by Mitch Ryals

Alex Koma @alexkoma.bsky.social · Aug 15

MPD Chief Pam Smith filed a declaration to support the suit, writing: "In my nearly three decades in law enforcement, I have never seen a single government action that would cause a greater threat to law and order than this dangerous directive."
www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

pamsmithdeclarationOAGTrumpsuit

www.documentcloud.org

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Mitch Ryals @mitchryals.bsky.social · Aug 15

The DC AG is asking a judge to grant a preliminary and permanent injunction "to ensure that control of MPD remains with the people of the District of Columbia and that the Home Rule Act is followed as Congress directed."

Mitch Ryals @mitchryals.bsky.social · Aug 15

Schwalb also says the president has not described the special/emergency conditions needed to trigger his authority to take control of MPD, and Trump's assertion that crime in D.C. (which has been declining) counts as such as emergency is too broad.

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Mitch Ryals @mitchryals.bsky.social · Aug 15

Schwalb argues that the Trump administration has overstepped its authority in the Home Rule Act, "which only permits the President to request 'services' for a 'federal purpose.'" Bondi's order (issued last night) interferes with and directs purely local matters, the AG says.

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Mitch Ryals @mitchryals.bsky.social · Aug 15

@dcattorneygeneral.bsky.social filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration today challenging the federal takeover of the Metropolitan Police Department. Read the complaint here:

oag.dc.gov/sites/defaul...

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Mitch Ryals @mitchryals.bsky.social · Aug 15

The commissioner is DEA Administrator Terry Cole, who has been MPD's federal overseer since Trump seized the department earlier this week. wtop.com/dc/2025/08/t...

Terry Cole named interim federal administrator for DC police - WTOP News

Terry Cole has been selected by President Donald Trump to be the interim federal administrator for D.C.’s police department.

wtop.com

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Mitch Ryals @mitchryals.bsky.social · Aug 15

Story by @trsdc.bsky.social and me:

washingtoncitypaper.com/article/7692...

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi Orders Mayor Muriel Bowser to Install A Federal Agent as ‘Emergency Police Commissioner’

In a formal order, Bondi directs Bowser to replace the chief of police and rescind internal policies prohibiting cooperation with immigration enforcement.

washingtoncitypaper.com

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Mitch Ryals @mitchryals.bsky.social · Aug 15

AG Pam Bondi has ordered @mayorbowser.bsky.social to replace MPD chief with an "emergency police commissioner." She's also rescinding or suspending policies that prohibit officers from helping w/ immigration enforcement.

This is a nightmare scenario for Mayor Bowser and greater DC autonomy.

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Mitch Ryals @mitchryals.bsky.social · Aug 15

Bowser left yesterday and plans to return Friday. She said the trip was to pick up her daughter from camp.

But her friend and former Ward 4 CM Brandon Todd is throwing an annual summer-ending party this evening. Bowser's office says she's not attending.

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Mitch Ryals @mitchryals.bsky.social · Aug 15

Story by @trsdc.bsky.social and me:

washingtoncitypaper.com/article/7692...

While Trump Turns D.C. Into a Police State, Mayor Muriel Bowser Leaves for Martha’s Vineyard

Bowser’s office says she is traveling to the vacation island to pick up her daughter and does not plan to attend Brandon Todd’s party there Thursday night. She is expected to return Friday.

washingtoncitypaper.com

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Mitch Ryals @mitchryals.bsky.social · Aug 15

As the president takes over the DC police department and sends federal immigration agents onto the streets, @mayorbowser.bsky.social jets off to Martha's Vineyard.