Secret Service agents shot at a man brandishing a firearm just a block away from the White House, the agency announced early Sunday morning.
The suspect, who traveled from Indiana, had reportedly been experiencing suicidal thoughts when Secret Service agents encountered him.
According to the New York Post, the individual had been walking toward Pennsylvania Avenue.
"As officers approached, the individual brandished a firearm, and an armed confrontation ensued, during which shots were fired by our personnel," a statement posted by Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi reads. "The suspect was transported to an area hospital and his condition is unknown."
The incident is currently under investigation.
Secret Service Uniformed Division Chief Michael Buck provided an on-scene media briefing. Our preliminary statement is below. The @DCPoliceDept will lead the investigation, as they are the primary agency responsible for use-of-force incidents within the District of Columbia. pic.twitter.com/Aqv6djUzbV
— Anthony Guglielmi (@SecretSvcSpox) March 9, 2025
While not explicitly stating the armed man was hit in the exchange, the fact that he was rushed to a local hospital indicates some sort of injury sustained.
A Secret Service agent famously fired at Ryan Wesley Routh, a man apprehended in September after being spotted with a rifle near Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, up to six times from a distance of just five feet, never once striking him.
The suspect, in this instance, having traveled across state lines in a suicidal state raises several questions. The case is eerily reminiscent of the arrest of Nicholas John Roske, who was also suicidal as he traveled from California in 2022 in a planned attempt to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Roske, according to the criminal complaint filed against him, was “thinking about how to give his life a purpose and decided that he would kill” Kavanaugh before committing suicide.
This latest suspect's intentions and motives are unknown at this point.
A man was shot by Secret Service near the White House early this morning and is currently in the hospital. The man had traveled to Washington with "suicidal thoughts" according to police and was confronted by USSS in the 1700 block of G Street NW. Crime scene cleared the area… pic.twitter.com/7afmgaojBW
— Andrew Leyden (@PenguinSix) March 9, 2025
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Man Who Tried to Assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh
This incident comes just eight months after an assassin's bullet struck President Trump, nearly killing him.
Despite the tense armed confrontation just outside the White House, President Trump was reportedly not in any danger as he was in Florida and not in the area at the time of the standoff.
He is scheduled to return to the White House later today.
Guglielmi's statement notes that "there were no reported injuries to Secret Service personnel."
The Metropolitan Police Department, which is responsible for investigating use-of-force incidents in the District of Columbia, will now investigate the matter further.
RedState will keep you posted as new developments take shape.
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