A Secret Service agent assigned to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s detail fired shots at a sedan outside her Washington home early Tuesday morning, but the agency said no one was struck by the gunfire and there was no threat to Yellen or other protectees.

The shooting occurred around 1:30 a.m. after the agent confronted the occupants of a sedan who “were attempting to open car doors along the street,” according to Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service’s chief of communications.

What You Need To Know

  • A Secret Service agent assigned to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s detail fired shots at a sedan outside her Washington home early on Tuesday morning
  • The agency said no one was struck by the gunfire and there was no threat to Yellen or other protectees
  • The shooting occurred around 1:30 a.m. after the agent confronted the occupants of a sedan who were “were attempting to open car doors along the street,” according to Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service’s chief of communications
  • The Secret Service has come under increased scrutiny after a pair of assassination attempts on President-elect Donald Trump’s life during the 2024 campaign

“As the sedan approached the agent, a confrontation occurred between the agent and the car’s occupants. The agent discharged their service weapon, but there is currently no evidence to indicate anyone was struck. The suspects fled the scene in the sedan, and a lookout was issued to local law enforcement,” Guglielmi said in an emailed statement. “There was no threat to any protectees during this incident and no protectees were harmed.”

The Treasury Department did not immediately return a request for comment from Yellen, and it is unclear if she or anyone else was inside the home at the time of the shooting. Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department, which will be investigating the agent involved in the shooting per standard policy, referred questions to the Secret Service. 

In November 2023, a Secret Service agent assigned to President Joe Biden’s daughter, Naomi Biden, opened fire at three suspects attempting to break into an unmarked Secret Service vehicle in Washington’s Georgetown neighborhood. No one was struck by the gunfire, and the Secret Service similarly said at the time that the suspects were not a threat to the president’s daughter.

The agency has come under increased scrutiny after a pair of assassination attempts on President-elect Donald Trump’s life during this year's campaign, including a July shooting at a Pennsylvania rally that left a rallygoer dead and Trump and two others wounded. Then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned 10 days later, and multiple investigations into the agency’s security failures are underway.