The Secret Service confirmed one of its agents was robbed at gunpoint as President Joe Biden left a star-studded Los Angeles fundraiser only a few miles away.
The incident took place at the Tustin Fields 1 residential community in Orange County as the agent headed home from a work assignment.
The agent was held up at gunpoint and managed to fire his government-issued firearm but the robber still managed to run off with his bag.
Both the local police department and the Secret Service said they didn’t know whether the suspect had been injured during the incident.
In a statement confirming the incident, the Secret Service said: “A member of the US Secret Service was the victim of an armed robbery in Tustin, California late Saturday when returning from a work assignment.
“The employee discharged their service weapon during the incident but unknown if the assailants were struck. We are thankful that the employee did not sustain any injuries.
“This remains an open and active criminal investigation and any additional comments must come from the primary investigative agency which is the Tustin Police Department.”
The Tustin Police Department said some of the agent’s belongings had been located after the incident.
They said they were looking for a 2004-2006 model silver Infiniti FX35 SUV seen leaving the scene of the crime.
The robbery took place at approximately 9:30 pm on Saturday, a little over half an hour after President Biden had returned to his Los Angeles hotel after the fundraiser.
Mr Biden had arrived in Los Angeles in the early hours of Saturday after travelling in from Italy, where he attended the G7 summit.
Some of Hollywood’s brightest stars headlined the Biden fundraiser that took in a record $30 million for the Democratic candidate, according to his campaign.
George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Barbra Streisand were among those who took the stage at the 7,100-seat Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Saturday night.
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel interviewed Biden and former President Barack Obama, who both stressed the need to defeat former President Donald Trump in a race that’s expected to be exceedingly close.
