A man wearing dual shoulder holsters with loaded pistols and extra ammunition was detained by Los Angeles Police after the individual claimed to be a U.S. Marshall who was part of the security team for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy is currently seeking the Democratic nomination for President. He was attending a Hispanic Heritage event in LA when the incident occurred.
Police have yet to identify the man who was spotted by legitimate security officers while carrying a U.S. Marshall badge and a federal ID tag. The security team did not recognize the armed man which immediately brought concern for the safety of Kennedy.
The arrest highlighted a serious discrepancy from the Biden administration. Under the law, major presidential and vice presidential candidates typically are given Secret Service protection. Despite the fact that both his father and uncle were assassinated, President Joe Biden has refused to provide Secret Service protection for his rival.
Kennedy has called on the administration to provide protection several times and renewed his request following the September 15 incident at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles. Kennedy thanked his private security detail, Gavin de Becker and Associates, for their quick action and rapid response. Kennedy also thanked the LAPD for getting on scene quickly and ensuring that the armed impersonator was taken into custody without incident.
It looks like a possible assassination attempt on @RobertKennedyJr was thwarted today at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre (@EbellTheatre).
🙏Thank you, God! 🙏
The suspected gunman was posing as a federal agent hired by his security team.
Please pray for #RFKJr… pic.twitter.com/tJB0kcZcpL
— Inflection Point News (@IPNBreakingNews) September 16, 2023
Charges have yet to be announced. The LAPD consulted with the Federal Bureau of Investigations to determine which agency would lead the investigation. At this time, the LAPD is the primary agency and has stated that the man would likely be booked on a gun charge. It is illegal to openly carry a gun in California. Other charges, including impersonating a Federal agent, are likely to follow.
Kennedy and his team claim that the heavily tattooed individual never made a threat or brandished a firearm during the incident. This is the first time that Kennedy has publicly acknowledged the presence of his private security team, despite being photographed with individuals wearing the GDBA logo. The firm is a major donor to the Kennedy campaign and has contributed $4.5 million to a super PAC set up to promote Kennedy.
Kennedy is considered a long-shot candidate to challenge Biden for the nomination. A poll released on September 6, 76% of Democrat voters say they would vote for Biden while just 9% support RFK Jr. The left-leaning polling group Morning Consult states that Biden “has more work to do” to unify the party ahead of an expected run-off against former President Donald Trump.
National polling shows that Trump currently leads Biden by a slim margin, though polling numbers have been deceptive in the past in regard to the support Trump receives from middle Americans.
