Trump abruptly escorted out of White House press briefing, returns to say there was a 'shooting' outside

President Trump on Monday was abruptly escorted away from the White House briefing room just a few minutes after taking the podium for a press briefing, but quickly returned to tell reporters, "There was a shooting outside of the White House."

Describing what he knew about the situation, the president said it “seems” an armed person was shot by Secret Service and had been taken to the hospital.

“It seems that the shooting was done by law enforcement,” he said.

READ MORE: Trump returns to White House briefing, says 'shooting' outside White House now 'under control'

The Secret Service later tweeted: “The Secret Service can confirm there has been an officer-involved shooting at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Ave. Law enforcement officials are on the scene. More information to follow.”

That intersection is right outside the White House grounds.

The Secret Service said in a tweet that a male subject and a USSS officer were both transported to a local hospital. “At no time during this incident was the White House complex breached or were any protectees in danger,” the agency said, adding the investigation is ongoing.

The Secret Service released the following statement late Monday following a press conference with D.C. Police:

"At approximately 5:53 PM today, a 51-year-old male approached a U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division officer who was standing at his post on the corner of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. near the White House Complex.

The suspect approached the officer and told the officer he had a weapon. The suspect then turned around, ran aggressively towards the officer, and in a drawing motion, withdrew an object from his clothing. He then crouched into a shooter’s stance as if about to fire a weapon.

The Secret Service officer discharged his weapon striking the individual in the torso. Officers immediately rendered first aid to the suspect and D.C. Fire and EMS were called to the scene. Both the suspect and the officer were transported to local hospitals.

The White House Complex was not breached during the incident and no Secret Service protectees were ever in danger.

The Secret Service Office of Professional Responsibility will be conducting an internal review of the officer’s actions. The Metropolitan Police Department was contacted to conduct an investigation."

A law enforcement source told Fox News it appears the wounds to the suspect in the officer-involved shooting are not fatal.

On Monday afternoon, several minutes after initially taking the podium, someone – who appeared to be a Secret Service agent – told the president shots had been fired outside before Trump stopped and walked out of the room.

“Excuse me?” the president said to the agent before exiting.

Fox News’ John Roberts reported hearing the sound of gunshots outside the White House as the briefing began.

After returning to the podium, Trump said a shooting took place outside the premises of the White House near the fence. He said more information would be released later.

The president said he was not taken to the White House bunker, but was rather ushered to the Oval Office.

When a reporter asked the president, “Are you rattled by this at all, Mr. President?" Trump replied, "Do I seem rattled?"

The president then moved on to discussing other issues, including the stock market and the coronavirus crisis.

Multiple sources told Fox News there is no believed threat to the Capitol after the White House incident.

A US Secret Service uniform officer's bike is seen laying on the sidewalk on Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House in Washington, DC, on August 10, 2020 (Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)

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After the president’s remarks, the White House was still on lockdown, with press told to stay in the briefing room. By 7:30 p.m., the lockdown had been lifted.

Several White House officials and aides, including Ivanka Trump, expressed their appreciation to the Secret Service after the incident.

The president himself praised the Secret Service, telling reporters, “I have such confidence in these people,” adding, “they're so good."

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 10, 2020. - Secret Service guards shot a person, who was apparently armed, outside the White House on Monday, President Donald Tr

Fox News' John Roberts and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.