LOS ANGELES — An armed man who allegedly impersonated a U.S. Marshal at a Robert F. Kennedy Jr. campaign event in Los Angeles on Friday was arrested, authorities said
Adrian Paul Aispuro, 44, was arrested and booked on suspicion of a felony charge of carrying a concealed weapon, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Kennedy, a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president, was giving a speech at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles to mark Hispanic Heritage Month, the Times reported. His father, U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, was assassinated in the kitchen of Los Angeles’ Ambassador Hotel 55 years ago. His uncle, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963.
A representative for Kennedy Jr. confirmed the arrest, according to KTLA-TV.
I’m very grateful that alert and fast-acting protectors from Gavin de Becker and Associates (GDBA) spotted and detained an armed man who attempted to approach me at my Hispanic Heritage speech at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles tonight. The man, wearing two shoulder… pic.twitter.com/vvJc0Gtk4o
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) September 16, 2023
The man appeared at a side entrance to the theater and claimed to be part of Kennedy’s security team, the Times reported.
“The man claimed to be part of Kennedy’s security team and told RFK Jr.’s actual protectors with urgency that he needed to be taken to the candidate immediately,” Kennedy Jr.’s team said in a statement. “Observing that the man had a handgun, Kennedy’s security team removed the man from the area, isolated and surrounded him, then notified LAPD.”
Kennedy’s campaign posted a TikTok video showing the arrest of the man.
In July, Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and a bipartisan committee rejected Kennedy’s request for Secret Service protection, KABC-TV reported.
Kennedy campaign officials said they plan to again apply for Secret Service protection, according to the Times.
The protection is extended only to “major” presidential and vice presidential candidates, as identified by Mayorkas, the newspaper reported. They are provided protection generally only within a year prior to the election, although exceptions are made on a case-by-case basis for “extraordinary” circumstances, according to guidance released by the Secret Service.
“I’m still entertaining a hope that President Biden will allow me Secret Service protection,” Kennedy tweeted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I am the first presidential candidate in history to whom the White House has denied a request for protection.
Aispuro remained in jail and his bail was set at $35,000, according to online booking records.
