AN armed man was taken into police custody at a Robert Kennedy, Jr. campaign event in Los Angeles.
Despite the man’s claims, campaign security officials did not recognize him and detained him until police arrived.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, a radio call was generated in the afternoon, reporting a man with a loaded gun in a shoulder holster and a badge stating he was a US Marshal.
Police officers arrived shortly after and arrested the man, who was identified as Adrian Paul Aispuro, 44-years-old.
He is currently being held in Los Angeles on a $35,000-bail for a felony charge of carrying a concealed weapon.
Kennedy’s camp issued a statement on Saturday, saying that a Private Security Team interacted with Aispuro ahead of the speech.
Aispuro insisted that he was part of Kennedy’s security detail and asked to be taken to him immediately.
Kennedy had been asking for secret service protection, and following the assassination scare, his campaign manager had written to US President Joe Biden, asking for a secret service protection for the presidential candidate.
The Kennedy campaign is sensitive to assassination and security concerns, given the history of the family.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., father, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Sr., was assassinated in 1968 in Los Angeles shortly after winning the California democratic presidential primary.
His uncle, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1963.
This is why the presidential hopeful had been asking for secret service protection, however, Kennedy, noted that the Biden administration had denied him such security, despite that he had requested it from the department of homeland security and had documented the need for it.
The security service protection issue was raised again through a letter that his campaign manager sent to President Biden.
Kennedy said he was the first presidential candidate in history to be denied protection upon request, although he is still hoping that Biden will allow him secret service protection.
“I’m 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,” Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Presidential Candidate, Democrat Party, said.