Two arrested for breaking into Secret Service car assigned to Naomi Biden
Two teenagers have been arrested for breaking into a Secret Service car assigned to US President Joe Biden's granddaughter late last year.
An agent tasked with protecting Naomi Biden fired his weapon at the thieves during the incident in Washington DC's wealthy Georgetown area.
Ms Biden, 30, was not with the agents when the attempted robbery took place on the night of 12 November.
Vehicle thefts and car-jacking have risen dramatically in the US capital.
According to court records cited by the Washington Post and ABC News, one of the two suspects - 19-year-old Washington resident Robert Kemp - was arrested on 7 February after investigators found a stolen car used as a getaway vehicle in the break-in.
The car, a Toyota Corolla, contained items taken from the Secret Service's black Ford Expedition, including a protective vest and night-vision goggles.
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Fingerprints found on a McDonald's bag and a receipt in the Corolla helped police track Mr Kemp and another suspect, a 14-year-old boy, who was arrested on 16 February.
At the time of incident, the juvenile was subject to GPS monitoring, which helped police determine that he was in the area.
Mr Kemp has now been charged with unauthorised use of a vehicle - the getaway car - and theft for the items taken from the Secret Service vehicle. He has been released and is due back in court on 29 February.
The 14-year-old is charged with three counts of armed car-jacking.
He is accused of being part of a group that stole three vehicles from ride-share drivers at gunpoint in January and early February, the Post reports.
He was later linked to the break-in on the Secret Service vehicle.
Secret Service agents had spotted three people breaking the window of the unoccupied government vehicle.
One of the agents at the scene fired his weapon, but is not believed to have struck any of the suspects.
Car-related crimes soared in Washington DC in 2023, with vehicle thefts rising over 80% to nearly 7,000.
Car-jackings nearly doubled from 485 in 2022 to 959 in 2023.
In October, Texas congressman Henry Cuellar was held up at gunpoint about a mile from the US Capitol.
He was unharmed and his vehicle was later recovered.
-bbc
