DC Deputy Mayor Accused Of Assaulting Man In Arlington Parking Lot

ARLINGTON, VA — Washington, D.C.’s, deputy mayor for public safety and justice, Christopher Geldart, is accused of assaulting a man outside a gym in Arlington on Saturday, according to the Arlington County Police Department.

Geldart is accused of grabbing the man by the throat during an argument outside a Gold's Gym in the 3900 block of Wilson Boulevard in the Ballston area around 12:25 p.m. on Saturday.

The deputy mayor is on personal leave pending an investigation into the incident, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told NBC4.

According to the Arlington County Police Department, a warrant for assault and battery was issued for Geldart, 53, of Falls Church on Tuesday. He was notified by telephone of the warrant, turned himself in and was released pending a preliminary hearing.

Police began investigating the incident Monday afternoon. They learned that at about 12:25 p.m. on Saturday, Geldart and another man got into an argument in the Gold's Gym parking lot after Geldart’s car door may have struck the door of the vehicle the other man was entering.

Witnesses told NBC4 that Geldart opened a door of his car to put his daughter in the back seat and may have hit the man’s car with the door.

“The dispute escalated, during which the suspect allegedly grabbed the victim by the throat,” police said. “During the course of the investigation, a suspect description was developed and on Tuesday, the victim responded to the Office of the Magistrate, completed a criminal complaint and a warrant for Assault and Battery was issued.”

A video obtained by FOX5 shows Geldart outside the Gold’s Gym arguing with another man. The video shows the two men in each other's faces before they push each other away.

The video does not appear to show Geldart grabbing the other man's neck. Two other men are seen in the video separating Geldart and the other man.

Dustin Woodward, a trainer at Gold's Gym, told FOX5 that he was the man who Geldart grabbed by the neck in the gym's parking lot.

"We’ve been dealing with him a while at Gold’s," Woodward told FOX5. "Multiple locations actually that’s how we even figured out who he was, so something needs to be done because you can’t just abuse your power like that. That’s pretty frustrating on my end."