Secret Service agent protecting Biden granddaughter opens fire on suspected auto burglars

A Secret Service agent assigned to protect President Joe Biden's granddaughter opened fire on people who attempted to break into a government vehicle in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Gugliemi said Monday.

The incident occurred shortly before midnight Sunday when "Secret Service agents encountered possibly three individuals breaking a window on a parked and unoccupied government vehicle," Gugliemi said. "During this encounter, a federal agent discharged a service weapon and it is believed no one was struck."

The suspects then fled the scene in a vehicle.

The incident did not pose any threats to those being protected by Secret Service, he said. The Secret Service and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department are investigating the encounter. 

The Associated Press reported that the agents were assigned to protect Naomi Biden, the president's 29-year-old granddaughter. 

D.C. has seen a significant increase in the number of carjackings and automobile burglaries this year, with motor vehicle theft rising 98% in 2023 compared to the same time last year, per police data.

D.C. law enforcement is even offering free tracking devices for vehicles of residents who live in with particularly high rates of theft.

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