The U.S. Secret Service has just shot an armed man near the White House, the agency said.
The incident happened shortly after midnight on Sunday after an “armed confrontation” with law enforcement, according to the agency.
Local police had reported a “suicidal individual” possibly travelling to Washington D.C. from Indiana, the agency said.
In a statement on X posted by spokesman Anthony Guiglielmi, the Secret Service said:
“As officers approached, the individual brandished a firearm, and an armed confrontation ensued, during which shots were fired by our personnel.”
The suspect was transported to the hospital.
His vehicle was located by agents in the early hours of Sunday morning near 17th and F streets in Washington, a preliminary statement said.
After locating the vehicle, agents located the suspect, who had walked north toward Pennsylvania Avenue.
When met by federal agents, the gunman threatened them with a weapon.
“They also saw an individual on foot matching the description nearby,” the Secret Service statement said.
Guglielmi confirmed that no agents were harmed in the showdown.
However, the condition of the gunman is “unknown” after he was taken to an area hospital.
The man has not been publicly identified by law enforcement.
The Secret Service added:
“The incident is under investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department Internal Affairs Division’s Force Investigations Team, which investigates all law enforcement officer-involved shootings in the District of Columbia.”
The incident took place near the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
The building is just a block west of the West Wing of the White House.
President Donald Trump was at his Florida home in Mar-a-Lago at the time of the incident.
It is unclear what the gunman’s motives were.
However, it follows a string of assassination attempts against Trump.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
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