The judge did allow claims against the Metropolitan Police Department and the Arlington Police Department, whose officers fired smoke bombs and pepper balls on protesters at Lafayette Square last summer, to proceed.

The acting chief of the Park Police refused to appear before a House committee to answer questions about the use of tear gas against peaceful protesters.

A Park Police spokesperson initially said ‘it was a mistake on our part’ to describe the chemical compounds used on the crowd as tear gas, before later issuing a new statement saying the opposite.

Bijan Ghaisar was shot and killed by Park Police under the command of Robert MacLean, who has been promoted to a senior position in the Department of the Interior.