Overview
- Guido Reichstadter, 45, came down Wednesday morning with help from D.C. Fire and EMS, and the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge briefly closed before reopening about 30 minutes later.
- He had occupied the 168‑foot arch since Friday to oppose what he called the Trump administration’s war in Iran and to warn about artificial intelligence, and he said his water ran out Sunday.
- Police arrested Reichstadter and filed counts of crowding, obstructing or incommoding, unlawful entry, and failing to obey an officer, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.
- First responders used an internal passage inside the bridge and then lowered him in a fire truck’s bucket, while a high‑angle rescue team and police negotiators had managed the scene and rolling closures since the climb began.
- Reichstadter has a record of high‑profile protests, including a 2022 climb of the same bridge and hunger strikes targeting AI firms, and court records show a prior misdemeanor unlawful‑entry conviction that suggests another court appearance is likely.