A U.S. Secret Service agent was robbed at gunpoint outside Los Angeles on Saturday, the night President Joe Biden was in town for a fundraiser featuring Hollywood celebrities.
On Saturday at 9:36 p.m., police officers responded to a call reporting an armed robbery at a residential community in Tustin, Calif. The suspect reportedly stole a handbag at gunpoint from a Secret Service agent. According to a Tustin Police Department statement, an agent fired a gun during the altercation. Police could not locate the suspect or suspects upon arrival but found contents of the stolen bag in the surrounding area.
On the same night, Biden was in Los Angeles hosting a celebrity fundraiser with former president Barack Obama and television host Jimmy Kimmel. George Clooney, Barbara Streisand, and Julia Roberts attended the event. Biden’s team said it raised nearly $30 million from the fundraiser.
The armed robbery comes as Los Angeles continues to struggle with violent crime and a dramatically increasing murder rate. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the murder rate increased by 30 percent between mid-March 2023 and 2024. Violent crime is up 3 percent in the past year, and robberies are up 10 percent, according to law enforcement officials. Even the home of Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass (D.) was broken into in April.
