A gunman who impersonated a U.S. marshal was arrested Friday night at a Robert F. Kennedy Jr. presidential campaign event. in Los Angeles.
An LAPD spokesperson told PEOPLE that officers responded to a radio call about a man posing as a U.S. Marshal at a Kennedy for President event in the 4400 block of West 8th Street at 4:30 p.m.
An LAPD spokesman identified the suspect as Adrian Paul Aispuro, 44, and said he “had a loaded gun and a holster on his shoulder and a badge that said he was a US Marshal.”
“Security at the location did not recognize them as part of their security team, so the LAPD was called and the suspect was taken into custody,” the spokesman said, adding that the FBI was also on the scene.
An LAPD spokesman said Aispuro was taken in and booked at the LAPD Wilshire Precinct for carrying a concealed weapon, with bail set at $35,000.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. challenged President Joe Biden in the 2024 Democratic primary.
According to ABC 7 Los Angeles, the LAPD said Aispuro “never brandished a gun or threatened anyone.”
According to media reports, Kennedy’s campaign team issued a statement on Saturday saying that a team of private security guards contacted Aispuro ahead of Friday night’s speech after Aispuro insisted he was part of the candidate’s security and asked to be taken away “immediately” Kennedy.
“The insurance fraudster, who was wearing sunglasses, appeared to have his plans in advance, as he was wearing what appeared to be a US Marshal’s badge on a lanyard and a federal ID card on a belt clip,” the campaign said. “Kennedy campaign seeks additional information from law enforcement.”
Kennedy, 69, shared pictures and videos of Aispuro on Instagram, TikTok and x (formerly known as Twitter) and issued the same statement across all platforms.
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“I am very grateful that the alert and quick-acting security guards from Gavin de Becker and Associates (GDBA) spotted and detained an armed man who tried to approach me tonight at my speech on Hispanic heritage at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles,” the Democratic presidential candidate wrote is on friday.
“The man, who was shouldering two holsters with loaded handguns and spare cartridges, was wearing a US Marshal’s badge on a lanyard and a federal ID card with a belt clip. He identified himself as a member of my insurance,” the message reads.
The statement continued, “Members of the Amed GDBA team quickly isolated and detained the man until the LAPD arrived to arrest him. I am also grateful to the LAPD for their quick response.
Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty
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“I still hold out hope that President Biden will grant me Secret Service protection. I am the first presidential candidate in history to be denied protection by the White House,” concluded the politician, whose father, Robert F. Kennedy, and uncle, John F. Kennedy, both were killed.
According to ABC 7 Los Angeles, Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and a bipartisan committee denied Kennedy’s request for Secret Service protection in July “after an unusually early request from the Kennedy campaign.”
According to the outlet, “Kennedy said at the time that his request ‘included a 67-page report … detailing unique and well-established safety and security risks beyond the usual death threats.’”
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Source: HIS Education