Officers from the U.S. Secret Service’s Uniformed Division were exposed to a “powdery substance” after making a traffic stop near the White House on Tuesday. Two of the officers were reportedly hospitalized.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi disclosed the traffic stop on Tuesday, tweeting, “Shortly before 11am, Secret Service Uniformed Division made a traffic stop in the 1700 Blk of New York Avenue. During the stop, officers came in contact with a powdery substance believed to be suspected narcotics. 1 individual taken into custody & officers are being evaluated.”
Following Guglielmi’s announcement, CBS reporter Nicole Sganga tweeted, “Two U.S. Secret Service officers were transported to the hospital after exposure to horse tranquilizer. Officers were performing a routine traffic stop and detained an individual with an extradition warrant when they came into contact with the white powder, ID’d by DC Hazmat.”
The U.S. Secret Service has not responded to American Military News requests for comment on this incident.
The incident comes just over a week after the agency was involved in a car accident while transporting Vice President Kamala Harris. The Secret Service’s protective intelligence division initially claimed the accident was the result of “a mechanical failure,” but Guglielmi subsequently confirmed it was actual a driver error after an agent overcorrected and struck a curb.
Kirsten Allen, a spokeswoman for Harris said “The Vice President sustained no injuries and appreciates the quick response by her USSS detail to get her to the White House safely.”
Secret Service agents were also injured when interacting with President Joe Biden’s dog Major last year. The White House said Major caused a “minor injury” to a Secret Service agent on March 8, 2021.
Documents obtained by Judicial Watch through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in April indicated the Biden White House downplayed the March 8 incident in which the agent was bit. That incident was also just one in a string of problems with Major that took place over more than a week.
