Dozens of Secret Service Officers Injured as Situation at White House Escalates
The rioting that has engulfed many American cities surged near the White House this weekend, damaging a historic church across from the White House and leaving multiple Secret Service agents injured.
“Between Friday night and Sunday morning, more than 60 Secret Service Uniformed Division Officers and Special Agents sustained multiple injuries from projectiles such as bricks, rocks, bottles, fireworks and other items,” the Secret Service said in a statement on its website.
“Secret Service personnel were also directly physically assaulted as they were kicked, punched, and exposed to bodily fluids,” it said.
“A total of 11 injured employees were transported to a local hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries.”
The Secret Service said it “respects the right to assemble, and we ask that individuals do so peacefully for the safety of all.”
The violence that took place Sunday night outside the White House was part of a larger series of outbursts that damaged communities across the nation. The violence began after Minneapolis protesters took to the streets last Tuesday in response to the death of George Floyd, and it has spread to cities across the nation.
More than 4,000 people have been arrested in the riots, according to The Associated Press.
Fox News reported that it was told cars in D.C. and elsewhere were being packed with incendiary materials to be used in the future.
It also said U.S. Marshals and Drug Enforcement Administration agents had joined local police and Department of Homeland Security agents in trying to guard the White House and quell the protests.
All 1,700 members of the Washington National Guard have also been mobilized, Fox News reported.
Late Sunday, the parish house connected to historic St. John’s Episcopal Church, which was built in 1816, was torched.
Sick to my stomach, St. John’s Church in DC set on fire. Over 200 years old. #StJohnsChurch #WashingtonDC pic.twitter.com/NGX9ahRNMN
— Brennen McAndrew (@BrennenMcAndrew) June 1, 2020
The office of the AFL-CIO was also set ablaze.
After a day of protests in Lafayette Park near the White House, police used tear gas to clear the area. Protesters burned an America flag, signs and a park structure that contained bathrooms and a maintenance office.
A parks service building in the Square is on fire @nbcwashington pic.twitter.com/84n2KuK0BY
— Tom Lynch (@TomLynch_) June 1, 2020
Early Monday, the lights on the exterior of the White House were disabled to allow the Secret Service to monitor protests with night vision equipment, according to Fox News.
D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, a Democrat, said the city was “prepared for multiple days of demonstration. We’re working with all of our intelligence to figure out who’s coming here,” according to The Washington Post.
On Friday night, protests near the White House were intense enough that President Donald Trump and his family were taken to an emergency bunker as a precaution.
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