Secret Service agents protecting Hunter Biden’s daughter opened fire on a group of suspects early Sunday – and it’s not the first time that the elite agency has been involved in a law enforcement action in the vicinity.
The president’s 29-year-old granddaughter, Naomi Biden, lives with her husband in Georgetown, a historic waterfront stretch of D.C. packed with trendy bars and restaurants, scenic sidewalks, and a handful of foreign embassies.
According to neighbors, the incident occurred amid a spate of car break-ins that have been reported in this upscale neighborhood. The signs posted along the tree-lined roads warn drivers to not leave valuables in their cars.
Police say that two years ago, a police officer who was off duty stopped a robbery from taking place and engaged in a shootout.
Ashan Benedict, Executive Assistant Chief of DC Police, said that the officer intervened during an ongoing armed crime where two suspects – one armed – approached a vehicle three times occupied by three victims and demanded the vehicle, cash, or other items from them. “The officer engages with the armed suspect. Shots were fired.”
Benedict stated that the Secret Service helped in the arrest of one suspect in this incident.
The Secret Service’s presence was not immediately apparent during the incident. Uniformed division officers patrol the area near foreign embassies in the city and regularly come to the assistance of the city police.
Anthony Guglielmi is the Secret Service chief of communications. “While we are focused on ensuring the safety and security of our protectees, and the sites they guard, our Secret Service Uniformed Division has a great working relationship with the DC Metropolitan Police Department.” “Our agencies work in different operational capacities together every day and the DC Police Department supports our protective mission on many levels. We are grateful for this hand-in-glove relationship.”
Washington and many other U.S. Cities are struggling to combat the rising crime.
A 27-year-old man from Alexandria in Virginia was shot dead on the street in a second Georgetown shooting in January 2022.
Statistics from the police show that both vehicle thefts and thefts of items inside vehicles have increased this year. Even U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) was carjacked by a group of masked gunmen he called “punks” near his Washington apartment.
Washington’s Second District includes Georgetown. More than 1,000 additional property crimes were reported in 2023 as compared to the same period in 2022. In the area, 399 vehicles have been stolen. 1,207 vehicle thefts and almost 3,000 other thefts have occurred.
Thom Bolsch is a former FBI agent and now the owner of a Texas shooting range. He said, “She has the right to choose where she lives, and we will do our best to make sure that our vehicles and her are safe.” “You are running out of clean, safe places to live.”
Bolsch said that Secret Service agents must follow the same rules as other law enforcement officers.
You can only discharge your weapon if you are in immediate danger or if you want to protect someone else. Maybe they can explain that. “If they randomly shoot at people who are running away, that is not the way it should be done.”
The team would have installed cameras and surveillance around the protected residence and would monitor constantly.
The agent would have been justified if he had feared for himself or someone else’s life. Secret Service stated in a press release that there was no danger to the Secret Service’s protectees.
The city police confirmed that no one was injured in the incident, and three suspects fled in a red vehicle.
Bolsch, a former Washington resident, says that Georgetown was once considered a very safe neighborhood, but crime is “creeping in” to nicer areas in response to widespread anti-police demonstrations calling for departments across the country to be protected.
Bolsch stated that the police are not able to enforce small crimes because they lack funding. Bolsch said that the police are unable to enforce small, petty offenses. And when they do, they let the person go before you can finish your paperwork.
The city police are conducting a routine inquiry into the use of force by law enforcement in relation to the shooting near Biden’s house.
