Michael Marx was named by Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro as the suspect accused of exchanging gunfire with Secret Service agents. Authorities said a bystander was struck during the shootout. The 45-year-old suspect — who was shot three times — allegedly ranted “f*** the White House” and “kill me! Kill me! Kill me!” in an ambulance on the way to the George Washington University Hospital, a criminal complaint alleges, according to reports.
The alarming incident near the Washington Monument and the National Mall began after a plainclothes Secret Service agent allegedly spotted Marx attempting to conceal a firearm on the right side of his body while near 15th Street and Madison Drive, according to court documents. The agent reportedly alerted additional Secret Service personnel, who later encountered Marx near 15th Street Southwest and Independence Avenue Southwest as he was allegedly “walking along the path of” Vance’s motorcade, which had departed the White House moments earlier, the complaint states.
According to investigators, agents exited their vehicles and began shouting commands at Marx, who allegedly ran across the street alongside a group of bystanders while pulling a handgun from his waistband. Once on the opposite side of the street, Marx allegedly turned and fired at a Secret Service agent, with one of the shots striking a child in the leg while the juvenile was with family members nearby, according to court documents.
Agents then allegedly returned fire, striking Marx in the hand, left arm, and upper abdomen, the complaint states. The victim, identified only as a juvenile, was transported to a hospital and treated for injuries authorities described as non-life-threatening.
The White House was briefly placed on lockdown immediately following the shooting. According to Secret Service Deputy Director Mathew C. Quinn, the incident happened just a few minutes after the vice president had left the area. The Secret Service said, “U.S. Secret Service personnel are on the scene of an officer-involved shooting at 15th Street and Independence Avenue in Washington, D.C.” “The incident resulted from a confrontation between an armed individual and Secret Service Police,” another statement from the Secret Service said.
No law enforcement officers were injured in the exchange. The incident prompted heightened security measures around the White House and raised concerns about ongoing threats to government officials.
The shooting near Vance’s motorcade comes just over a week after an alleged gunman, Cole Tomas Allen, attempted to storm the White House Correspondents’ Dinner with President Trump in attendance. Allen made his initial appearance in federal court late last week, where he was formally advised of the charges filed by prosecutors. Cole Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, is accused of entering the Washington Hilton while armed with multiple weapons and attempting to reach the ballroom where President Trump was attending the dinner alongside Cabinet officials and journalists Saturday night.
“He attempted to assassinate the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jocelyn Ballantine told the court. “We are asking the court to preventatively detain Mr. Allen.” “Cole Allen’s journey of accountability in the criminal justice system starts today,” Pirro said in a press conference the Monday after the Saturday evening incident, adding, “There will be additional charges as this investigation continues to unfold.”
“But make no mistake, this was an attempted assassination of the President of the United States, with the defendant making clear what his intent was,” Pirro continued. “And that intent was to bring down as many of the high ranking Cabinet officials as he could. This is the kind of situation that we cannot tolerate.” The succession of incidents within days reflects sustained security challenges facing the Trump administration and its protection details.
