A man who crashed into a parked SUV that was guarding President Joe Biden's motorcade in Wilmington, Del., over the weekend was driving while drunk, police said.
James Cooper, 46, of Wilmington was arrested and charged with driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and inattentive driving, Wilmington Police revealed on Monday.
The crash occurred Sunday night.
Biden was walking from his campaign office in Wilmington to his waiting armored SUV when a sedan struck a U.S. Secret Service vehicle that was being used to seal off the area surrounding the headquarters for the president’s visit. The driver, who investigators identified as Cooper, then tried to continue forward into the closed-off intersection, before Secret Service agents surrounded the vehicle with weapons drawn and instructed the driver to put his hands up.
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A loud bang and sound of crunching metal echoed on the quiet street as Biden paused and looked over toward the sound, surprised, before he was ushered into the vehicle. Jill Biden was already seated inside, and the two were driven swiftly back to their home. His schedule was otherwise unaffected by the incident.
Neither the president nor the first lady were injured during the incident.
Investigators determined the crash was accidental.
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Steve Kopek, a U.S. Secret Service spokesman, said the president’s motorcade departed without incident and the driver was not considered a serious threat to the president.
Cooper was released from custody pending further court proceedings. NBC10 reached out to Cooper on Monday. We have not yet heard back from him.
