On Saturday, during a Hispanic Heritage Month event led by 2024 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an armed man posing as a U.S. Marshal attempted to approach the candidate. Kennedy was giving a speech at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles when security personnel from Gavin de Becker and Associates (GDBA) swiftly isolated and detained the impostor before the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) arrived to make the arrest according to KTLA.
The unidentified man, wearing two shoulder holsters with loaded pistols and spare ammunition, attempted to pass himself off as a member of Kennedy's security detail. He was also carrying a U.S. Marshal badge on a lanyard and belt clip federal ID, as reported by Fox News. Upon detaining the man, the LAPD stated that he did not seem to threaten RFK Jr. or anyone else present, but due to being armed, he would likely be booked on a gun charge.
RFK Jr. expressed his gratitude for the swift actions of his security team and the LAPD on X, formerly known as Twitter. However, the encounter has drawn attention to the fact that Kennedy, a Democratic presidential candidate, has not yet been granted Secret Service protection. As the first presidential candidate in history denied a request for protection by the White House, RFK Jr. continues to entertain hope that President Joe Biden will allow him Secret Service protection, CBS News reports.
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
According to the Secret Service's website, protection is provided for "major presidential and vice presidential candidates and their spouses within 120 days of a general presidential election." The Biden administration rejected Kennedy's request for protection back in July, claiming that it was not warranted at the time. Kennedy's case is almost unprecedented since, according to CNN, the majority of candidates in modern presidential primaries do not receive Secret Service protection because they are not deemed "major" candidates.
