U.S. Secret Service agent robbed at gunpoint during Biden’s California trip

A U.S. Secret Service agent was robbed at gunpoint in California over the weekend, shortly after President Joe Biden attended a star-studded fundraiser for the Democratic Party in Los Angeles.

A statement from the Secret Service said the agent was returning from work at the time of the robbery Saturday night when he was approached by a man with a gun in the residential community of Tustin Fields near Orange County. The statement did not specify where the agent had been working that day and did not state whether the agent’s work assignment was connected to the president’s California trip.

Someone called the Tustin Police Department shortly after 9:30 p.m. to report the robbery.

The suspect was able to flee with a bag stolen from the agent, Tustin Police Department confirmed. The agent fired his weapon during the incident, but it’s not known whether the suspect was struck because he has not been located.

However, police were able to recover some of the agent’s belongings in the area.

The email you need for the day's top news stories from Canada and around the world.

While the suspect or suspects have not been located, police said a 2004-06 Infiniti FX35 or similar vehicle was seen fleeing the scene.

The unnamed agent was uninjured in the altercation, the Secret Service confirmed, and the robbery remains under investigation.

U.S. President Joe Biden (C) speaks, flanked by television host Jimmy Kimmel (L) and former president Barack Obama, onstage during a campaign fundraiser at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on June 15, 2024. Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images

Biden had travelled to Los Angeles for a star-studded fundraiser that, according to Politico, raised at least US$28 million and broke Democratic fundraising records. The evening saw many A-list Hollywood celebrities lend their support, including former president Barack Obama, Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Jimmy Kimmel, Jason Bateman, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Jack Black.

— With files from The Associated Press

2:26 Biden reiterates calls for assault weapon ban, stricter background checks, end of immunity for gun dealers