May 4 (UPI) — The U.S. Secret Service shot a man near the Washington Monument on Monday after spotting a person with a gun nearby and called for backup.
An ensuing shootout with the man while he tried to run resulted in a child near the monument being injured before the suspect was also shot, and both have been hospitalized, NBC Washington, Fox 5 DC and Politico reported.
The incident comes just over a week since a man rushed security at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner in Washington, D.C., in an alleged attempt to assassinate President Donald Trump and other members of the administration that were in attendance.
The suspect had been under surveillance for some time before he was approached based on officers observing what they termed a “suspicious” person.
“Whether or not it was directed to the president or not, I don’t know, but we will find out,” said Matthew Quinn, deputy director of the secret service, adding that the agency is patrolling the area — the monument is about half-a-mile from the White House — “24/7, hard core” after recent events.
Law enforment officials were patrolling near the monument, down the street from the White House, when they observed the person and approached.
The suspect pulled out a gun and fired toward them, resulting in an exchange of gunfire, which resulted in both the suspect and a nearby child.
The child suffered a graze would to his lower body, was taken to an ambulance and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, Quinn told reporters.
Streets were blocked off after the incident and members of the White House Press Pool were evacuated from the area during the incident, which occurred as Trump was holding a small business event inside the White House and reportedly was not aware of what happened.
The U.S. Secret Service and the Metropolitan Police Department both said that their investigations are ongoing.