The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed the arrest of an armed man who dressed up as a U.S. Marshal at a Robert Kennedy Jr. campaign event in Los Angeles, California, on Friday.
A spokesperson for the department made a statement to ABC News saying a radio call was generated around 4:30 p.m. PT reporting a man with “a loaded gun in a shoulder holster and a badge stating he was a U.S. Marshal.”
LAPD officers arrived shortly after the report and arrested the man. The FBI was also at the scene.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Kennedy said that members of his private security detail from Gavin de Becker and Associates “spotted and detained an armed man” who tried to approach him during a campaign speech on Hispanic Heritage Month at the Wilshire Ebell Theater.
The suspect was identified as a Hispanic male with tattoos on his arms, neck, and hands.
“The suspect never brandished the gun or threatened anyone. He was taken to Wilshire Station where there was talk of [the] FBI possibly handling,” said the LAPD.
It’s expected that the suspect will receive gun charges.
In July, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and a bipartisan committee rejected a request from Kennedy for Secret Service protection after a 67-page report that detailed a “unique and well-established security and safety risks aside from commonplace death threats” was submitted.
Kennedy’s father and uncle were both assassinated. He has again raised the issue of a Secret Service detail in his statement on Friday night, claiming he was the “first presidential candidate in history” to be denied protection upon request.
“I’m still entertaining a hope that President Biden will allow me Secret Service protection,” Kennedy said.
