A D.C. deputy mayor is accused of assault after a clash outside a gym in Arlington, Virginia, over a car door, authorities say and News4 first reported.
Christopher Geldart, who serves as deputy mayor for public safety and justice, was accused of assault and battery, Arlington police said.
Geldart is on personal leave from his job pending an investigation into the charge, Mayor Muriel Bowser said.
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Geldart and his family were leaving the Gold’s Gym location in the 3900 block of Wilson Boulevard, in the Ballston area, at about 12:25 p.m. Saturday as a man who works at the gym also left, a police report says.
Witnesses said 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. An argument broke out.
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The alleged victim filed a criminal complaint with the Arlington magistrate’s office on Monday. An arrest warrant for assault was issued. Geldart turned himself in and was released pending a preliminary hearing.
News4 viewed a portion of surveillance footage from outside the gym. Geldart and the man could be seen facing off and arguing, with both men waving their hands in the air. At one point, the two men make contact before Geldart’s wife steps between them.
“We’re certainly reviewing, we’re reviewing the matter …,” Bowser said. “It’s not a lot of detail that I have at this point, but I take any accusation seriously, and that’s what we’re doing.”
“Only knowing very little, it sounds like, you know, something that happens to a lot of folks – altercation over something minor – and I hope that it is resolved and it is resolved quickly,” the mayor said.
Geldart is a longtime leader in D.C. and previously served as director of the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Public Works, and as operational lead in the District’s response to COVID-19.
An investigation by Arlington police is ongoing.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
