An armed man was taken into custody at a Los Angeles campaign event for Democratic presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. Friday, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed.
LAPD identified the suspect as Adrian Paul Aispuro, 44. Booking records show Aispuro is being held on felony charges and $35,000 bail.
Aispuro allegedly donned shoulder holsters with loaded pistols and spare ammunition magazines and carried a U.S. Marshal badge on a lanyard and belt clip federal ID, Kennedy wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
According to Kennedy’s post, the candidate’s private security detail detained the suspect until LAPD arrived, after he allegedly attempted to approach Kennedy and claimed to be a member of his security detail.
Kennedy on Friday reiterated his request to the White House for Secret Service protection, writing that he is “still entertaining a hope that President Biden will allow me Secret Service protection.”
“I am the first presidential candidate in history to whom the White House has denied a request for protection,” his post said.
The Secret Service states on its website that “major presidential and vice presidential candidates and their spouses within 120 days of a general presidential election” are protected by the Secret Service.
After Democratic nominee Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in Los Angeles in 1968, Congress changed the law to authorize Secret Service protection for major candidates.
Former President Barack Obama received Secret Service protection in May 2007, an “unusually early step,” The New York Times noted at the time.
