The altercation reportedly took place outside a gym in Arlington.

/ Courtesy of Google Street View

Chris Geldart, D.C.’s Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice, is on leave from his job as the city looks into an incident in which he allegedly assaulted someone in Arlington on Saturday afternoon.

“We take any accusations seriously and are reviewing the matter,” the mayor’s office told DCist/WAMU in a statement. “While it is under review, Deputy Mayor Geldart is on leave. Unfortunately, it sounds like something that happens to a lot of people — a dispute over something minor — and we hope it is resolved quickly.”

The story was first reported by NBC Washington.

Geldart reportedly got into a verbal dispute with a man after opening his car door into the victim’s vehicle, according to Arlington County Police. The incident occurred in the 3900 block of Wilson Boulevard on Saturday afternoon. Multiple outlets have reported that the assault happened outside of a gym.

“The dispute escalated, during which the suspect [Geldart] allegedly grabbed the victim by the throat,” said an incident summary provided by Arlington police. The alleged assault was reported on Monday.

Geldart has since been charged with alleged assault and battery. He turned himself in and was released on a summons, according to police.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser appointed Geldart to the Deputy Mayor for Public Safety and Justice role in January of 2021. He previously served as Operational Lead during the city’s initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic and led the D.C. Department of Public Works. Before that, he led the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency for five years, between 2012 and 2017. At HSEMA, Geldart resigned shortly after a report from the Office of the Inspector General found he had committed ethics violations, including using his public office to secure work for his then-girlfriend (now wife’s) company.

FOX 5 also reported Wednesday that it had exclusive footage of the assault. A reporter confronted Bowser with the footage on Wednesday, but Bowser declined to respond to the video live on camera. She said she asked the news outlet for the footage earlier, but they declined to provide it to her.

“I asked you for [the video] earlier,” Bowser said in a video the reporter posted on Twitter. “I’ll review it in my office.”

Filed Under: criminal justice,