Politics
Secret Service Opens Fire While Protecting Biden’s Granddaughter
By CM Chaney · November 13, 2023
In brief…
- Secret Service agents opened fire after suspects tried to break into agency vehicle
- Incident occurred while agents protected President Biden's granddaughter in DC
- Suspects fled in red vehicle, police issued alert to find car
- Car thefts and carjackings have surged in DC over past year
Secret Service agents opened fire late Sunday night in Washington, DC after encountering suspects attempting to break into an agency vehicle, officials reported.
The incident occurred around midnight in the Georgetown area while agents were on duty protecting President Biden’s granddaughter Naomi Biden, according to a law enforcement official.
“On Nov. 12 around 11:58 p.m. in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC, Secret Service agents encountered possibly three individuals breaking a window on a parked and unoccupied government vehicle,” said Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi in a statement. “During this encounter, a federal agent discharged a service weapon and it is believed no one was struck.
“The offenders immediately fled the scene in a red vehicle and a regional lookout was issued to supporting units. There was no threat to any protectees and the incident is being investigated by the DC Metropolitan Police Department and the Secret Service.”
The suspects had attempted to break into an unmarked Secret Service vehicle while agents were out with 29-year-old Naomi Biden, the granddaughter of President Biden, according to the law enforcement official. The Secret Service issued a regional bulletin asking police to look out for the suspects’ red vehicle.
Car thefts and carjackings have dramatically increased in Washington, DC over the past year. Police have received reports of over 750 carjackings and more than 6,000 stolen vehicles in the past 12 months. Even members of Congress have been impacted - last month, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) was carjacked at gunpoint by three armed men near the US Capitol.
Naomi Biden made headlines last November when she got married at the White House. She was also in the news in 2011 for allegedly vandalizing the Capitol building when she was a 17-year-old Senate page. She reportedly etched her name at the top of the Capitol dome during a tour, an incident that was not publicly known until recently.
The DC Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the attempted break-in and Secret Service shooting. The incident remains under investigation by DC police and the Secret Service agency.