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A video captured protesters in Washington, D.C., yelling at police officers to “get off our streets!” as law enforcement set up a checkpoint along a popular nightlife corridor in the nation’s capital.
The tense scenes unfolded late Wednesday night along 14th Street Northwest just days after President Donald Trump announced a federal takeover of Washington, D.C.’s police in an effort to crack down on crime.
“Why are you here? You are trying to arrest innocent people? What’s your purpose? What’s your goal? What’s the motive? Why won’t you show your face? Do you look yourself in the mirror and think ‘I did a good job today’?” one protester was heard yelling at officers.
Others were heard urging drivers to “turn left” to avoid the checkpoint.
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Another held up a sign with the word “ICE.”
The Metropolitan Police Department told Fox News Digital that “on August 13, 2025, at approximately 8:30 p.m., the Metropolitan Police Department conducted a traffic safety compliance checkpoint in the 2100 block of 14th, Street, Northwest.
“During the checkpoint, 344 vehicles passed through, 28 were stopped, 38 notice of infraction’s were issued, and MPD made one arrest for No Permit and Counterfeit Tags,” a spokesperson added. “Since 2023, the Metropolitan Police Department has conducted weekly traffic safety compliance checkpoints. These checkpoints are an education and enforcement tool used to encourage safe driving and hold violators accountable.”
Homeland Security agents were also seen at the checkpoint, which was shut down around 11 p.m., according to The Washington Post.
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Elsewhere around the city, Drug Enforcement Administration officers were seen on the National Mall, while National Guard members were parked nearby, the Associated Press reported.
DEA agents joined Metropolitan Police Department officers on patrol in the Navy Yard neighborhood, while FBI agents stood along the heavily trafficked Massachusetts Avenue.
Hundreds of federal law enforcement and city police officers who patrolled the streets Tuesday night made 43 arrests, compared with about two dozen the night before.
Trump announced Monday that he was federalizing the local police department under section 740 of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which allows the president to assume emergency control of the capital’s police force for 30 days.
Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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