Armed man accused of impersonating officer detained at Kennedy campaign event in LA

LOS ANGELES (AP) — An armed man accused of impersonating a federal officer was taken into custody outside a Robert F. Kennedy Jr. campaign event in Los Angeles.

A Los Angeles Police Department statement said police received a call Friday afternoon that a man with a loaded gun and holster and wearing a U.S. Marshals Service badge was outside a theater where the Democratic presidential candidate was scheduled to give a speech.

A campaign statement said Kennedy’s security team surrounded the man, who later was taken into custody by the LAPD. The FBI also was on the scene.

No one was injured.

“The man claimed to be part of Kennedy’s security team,” the campaign statement said. He told the candidate’s security team “that he needed to be taken to the candidate immediately.”

The man was taken into custody on a charge of carrying a concealed weapon.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Kennedy said he was grateful for the LAPD’s swift response. His campaign said Kennedy’s requests for Secret Service protection have been rejected, and he plans to apply again this month.