A man accused of impersonating a U.S. Marshal at a campaign event for Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Jr. was taken into custody on Friday. He was discovered to be heavily armed, leading people to suspect that it was an assassination attempt.
Kennedy’s security detail “spotted and detained” the perpetrator after he was seen attempting to approach the candidate during a campaign speech on Hispanic Heritage Month at the Whilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, CA. The man pretended to be a part of Kennedy’s security detail, and had “two shoulder holsters with loaded pistols and spare ammunition magazines,” and was “carrying a U.S. Marshal badge on a lanyard and beltclip federal ID,” according to Kennedy.
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Kennedy took to X to post a picture of the suspect and thank his security team, hired from private firm Gavin de Becker and Associates (GDBA). He pointed out that the Biden administration (through Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas) denied him Secret Service protection, making it the first time the White House has ever denied a candidate such protection in history.
I’m very grateful that alert and fast-acting protectors from Gavin de Becker and Associates (GDBA) spotted and detained an armed man who attempted to approach me at my Hispanic Heritage speech at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles tonight. The man, wearing two shoulder… pic.twitter.com/vvJc0Gtk4o
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) September 16, 2023
A police radio call at 4:30 PM Pacific Time reported a man with “a loaded gun in a shoulder holster and a badge stating he was a U.S. Marshal,” according to a statement the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) provided to ABC News.
The LAPD shortly thereafter arrived on the scene, and “the FBI was also present on the scene.” The LAPD described him as a Hispanic man with tattoos on his arms, neck, and hands.
The LAPD arrested the man, whom they stated “never brandished the gun or threatened anyone.” There was initial discussion of the FBI taking the case over from the police. It was later decided that the LAPD would remain in charge and the suspect “would probably be booked on a gun charge” according to the LAPD Watch Commander.
In June, RFK Jr. told Joe Rogan that he suspects the CIA could try to assassinate him for pursuing an aggressively anti-establishment platform. “I’m still entertaining a hope that President Biden will allow me Secret Service protection,” RFK wrote in his X post after Friday’s assassination scare.
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