By USA Daily Now 
A suspect accused of stealing Homeland Security Secretary KRISTI NOEM‘s Gucci handbag, containing $3,000 in cash and other personal belongings, was arrested on Saturday in Washington, D.C., according to reports. The Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service apprehended the individual, as reported by the New York Post. Authorities are still searching for a second suspect linked to the incident.
Both suspects are reportedly in the U.S. without authorization, prompting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to become involved in the case. Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia ED MARTIN told NBC 4 that there is no indication NOEM was targeted due to her role at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The suspect in custody is scheduled to appear in court early this week.
The theft occurred on Easter Sunday while NOEM was dining with her family at The Capital Burger in Washington, D.C. The suspect allegedly snatched her luxury bag, which contained her driver’s license, passport, medication, makeup bag, blank checks, DHS badge, apartment keys, and a Louis Vuitton Clemence wallet, in addition to the cash. The bag was reportedly on the floor near her table when it was stolen, according to a police complaint.
Security footage captured a white male suspect wearing an N95 surgical mask, dark pants, and a baseball cap grabbing the bag and leaving the restaurant. Sources who viewed the footage told the New York Post that the suspect glanced around the establishment before covering the bag with his jacket and fleeing.
“It was kind of shocking, actually, because it was sitting right by my feet. I actually felt my purse; he hooked it with his foot and dragged it a few steps away, dropped a coat over it, and took it,” NOEM recounted during an interview with podcaster VINCE COGLIANESE on the VINCE Show. “I felt it, but I thought it was my grandkids kicking me in the legs. But it was very professionally done, and it tells that this happens all the time to people and that they live in communities where this is a danger. It reaffirms why I am here. My job is to make sure that I do everything, every day I can, to make our communities safer, and President Trump recognizes that families shouldn’t have to live with any kind of violence in their lives.”
The Secret Service has declined to confirm the arrest, citing operational security. “For the safety of our agents and officers, we are not in a position to confirm or comment at this time,” Secret Service spokesman ANTHONY GUGLIELMI stated on X. “Should criminal charges be filed, the Department of Homeland Security will provide public information in accordance with established procedures.”
This incident follows a similar theft just days earlier, where another woman dining with her family at a nearby restaurant had her purse stolen in a comparable manner.
**Sources:**
[New York Post](https://nypost.com)
[NBC 4](https://www.nbcwashington.com)
[Fox News Digital](https://www.foxnews.com)