The man accused of shooting at Secret Service agents near the Washington Monument this week had been following the path of Vice President J.D. Vance’s motorcade moments before he opened fire on authorities, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said suspect Michael Marx also made comments such as “F—- the White House” and “Kill me” after he was taken into custody on Monday near the corner of 15th Street and Independence Avenue in Southwest.
Mr. Marx, 45, of Midland, Texas, faces charges of assaulting federal officers with a dangerous weapon, using a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in the shooting that saw a 15-year-old hit in the leg by a stray bullet.
Prosecutors said Secret Service agents returned fire and shot Marx in his hand, arm and abdomen.
“We will prove this defendant carried an illegal firearm into the heart of Washington, D.C., opened fire at Secret Service officers near a crowded intersection, and shot an innocent bystander who was simply crossing the street with his family,” Ms. Pirro said.
“My office will pursue the most serious charges available against anyone who brings gun violence to our streets, particularly when that violence unfolds steps from the seat of our government and the path of the Vice President of the United States,” she said.
Charging documents said plainclothes agents first spotted Mr. Marx around 3:40 p.m. Monday with what appeared to be a concealed firearm near the intersection of 15th Street and Madison Drive in Northwest.
Uniformed agents drove to the area and approached the suspect, who then ran across the street and drew his sidearm. Prosecutors said the suspect fired on the agents but instead wound up striking the teen bystander.
Agents shot back at the armed man and struck him several times. While being taken to a hospital, officials said he made the vulgar statements about the White House and uttered “Kill me, kill me, kill me.”
The court filing said Mr. Marx has gone by other names, such as Patrick Michael and Michael Zavici.
He was convicted of drug trafficking in 2011 in Miami-Dade County, Florida, according to the court documents.
The shooting happened about a week after a gunman tried charging into the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which Mr. Trump was attending with several members of his Cabinet.
Secret Service agents stopped the attacker before he could reach the ballroom. Prosecutors charged Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, with attempting to assassinate the president in the incident.
Charging documents connect a manifesto to Mr. Allen that reads, “I am no longer willing to permit a pedophile, rapist, and traitor to coat my hands with his crimes.”
