By Peter Eisler
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – More than a half dozen U.S. Secret Service officers on Thursday took two men into custody from a car in Washington’s Georgetown neighborhood and removed what seemed to be an assault-style rifle from the vehicle, a Reuters witness said.
The two men were handcuffed and separated, according to the Reuters reporter who witnessed the incident. The witness said the officers also pulled what appeared to be body armor components from the car. The vehicle was a black four-door Ford sedan with Indiana plates that said Marine Corps Veteran.
One of the suspects wore tan pants and a black hoodie, while the other wore a camouflage-style jacket and a baseball cap, according to the witness and photographs from the scene.
The Secret Service, which protects U.S. political leaders and their families, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department referred questions to the Secret Service.
The incident occurred in the heart of Georgetown, an upscale neighborhood of shops and homes popular with tourists. The area is also home to many current and former government officials.
Police removed multiple military-style bags from the car, like duffles and packs, mostly Army green, and emptied their contents on the trunk and the street, video from the incident showed. Some items, including what appeared to be body armor plates, were laid on the ground and photographed by officers.
At least one of the suspects was taken away in a Secret Service van.
(Reporting by Peter Eisler in Washington; writing by Kanishka Singh; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Tim Ahmann)
