President Joe Biden was interrupted while speaking with reporters in downtown Wilmington, Delaware, on Sunday when a sedan slammed into a Secret Service vehicle protecting the president’s motorcade, as he was leaving his reelection campaign offices.
Biden and Jill Biden, the first lady, were not injured, according to the White House. They had been attending an event at their campaign headquarters and having dinner with members of the campaign staff.
Joe Biden was discussing his polling numbers when, just after 8 pm, a silver vehicle with Delaware license plates ran into a Secret Service SUV that was blocking an intersection with access to the street Biden was visiting.
In a statement, the Secret Service said “there was no protective interest associated with this event,” meaning the crash was accidental and the driver did not know Biden was at the event.
“The president’s motorcade departed without incident,” the agency said in the statement.
David Karas, a spokesperson for the Wilmington Police Department, said nobody was injured in the collision. “Investigators are also working to determine if impairment was a factor,” Karas said.
Authorities outside responded to the collision, surrounding the car and aiming weapons at the driver before the driver surrendered, according to reporters in the White House press pool.
The officials could be heard demanding that the driver open his door, according to videos posted online. Photographers on the scene captured Biden, surprised, as he turned to look at the incident and before agents ushered him into his vehicle.
Published 18 December 2023, 01:25 IST