Diners saw Secret Service officers with "guns drawn" arrest a couple that appeared to be on a date at a restaurant near the White House on Tuesday.
Customers at Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab looked on in shock as authorities entered, weapons in hand, and took the couple into custody, witnesses said.
“It was like something out of a movie,” one diner, Jalen, said. "The next thing we heard was, 'Everybody get down.'"
Jalen said he was having a happy hour bite to eat with a coworker before work when they saw "Secret Service and guns drawn.”
We're making it easier for you to find stories that matter with our new newsletter — The 4Front. Sign up here and get news that is important for you to your inbox.
Within minutes, officers had closed the adjacent block of 15th Street NW in front of the Sofitel Washington Hotel. The closures remained for a few hours.
A Secret Service spokesperson said a dark blue BMW 740e, which the couple had driven to the restaurant, was determined to have been stolen by officers patrolling the area.
A paper, Virginia temporary tag could be seen hanging in the rear license plate area. It said the tag was for a 2004 Pontiac and had an expiration date of last December.
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
The Secret Service said the driver was arrested for carrying a pistol without a license after he was found to be in possession of a handgun. His presumed date was arrested for unauthorized use of a vehicle.
Authorities provided no information about where or when the BMW was stolen.
