Man charged with DUI after crashing into motorcade vehicle at Biden campaign headquarters
Originally Published: 17 DEC 23 22:38 ET Updated: 18 DEC 23 10:44 ET By Betsy Klein, CNN
(CNN) — The driver of a car that struck an SUV in President Joe Biden’s motorcade Sunday night, causing damage to both vehicles and appearing to startle the president as he left his campaign headquarters, has been charged with DUI according to authorities in Wilmington, Delaware.
“Following our investigation, Wilmington Police have determined that this was an accidental collision, and have charged the driver of the striking vehicle – a 46-year-old Wilmington man – with Driving a Vehicle Under the Influence of Alcohol and Inattentive Driving,” Wilmington Police Department Communications Director David Karas told CNN on Monday.
The man was not named in the statement. CNN has requested a copy of the police report and charging documents from the Wilmington PD.
The US Secret Service confirmed that a vehicle in the motorcade was hit by another car as Biden got into his car. There was “no protective interest associated with this event,” Secret Service spokesperson Steve Kopek told CNN in a statement, meaning that the crash was not intentional. It had been raining heavily in Wilmington.
“Today, at approximately 8:09 p.m., a Secret Service vehicle securing the President’s motorcade route was struck by another vehicle in Wilmington, DE. There was no protective interest associated with this event and the President’s motorcade departed without incident,” Kopek said, directing further questions to the Wilmington Police Department.
The crash caused a loud bang on the street, and Biden looked over to see the commotion. US Secret Service surrounded the silver sedan that caused the crash, telling the male driver to put his hands up, according to pool reporters traveling with Biden.
The impacted SUV wasn’t the president’s. Secret Service personnel escorted the president to his vehicle, where first lady Jill Biden was already inside.
The Bidens had been visiting the president’s 2024 campaign headquarters, greeting staffers at a holiday happy hour. It marked the first time the president has visited since staffers began working out of the Wilmington office over the summer.
This headline and story has been updated with additional information.
The-CNN-Wire
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