US Second Gentleman evacuated from school event following bomb threat

Doug Emhoff, husband of US Vice President Kamala Harris, was whisked out of an event Tuesday at a Washington high school by Secret Service agents following a bomb threat, The Associated Press reported.

Emhoff was at Dunbar High School to help commemorate Black History Month and was in the school's museum for a few minutes when a member of his security detail approached him saying, "We have to go."

Emhoff was hustled out into his waiting motorcade and whisked away. An overhead announcement then instructed students and teachers to "evacuate the building."

District of Columbia Public Schools spokesperson Enrique Gutierrez, who was at Dunbar for Emhoff's appearance, said there had been a bomb threat. It was not known whether the threat was related to Emhoff's visit or Black History Month.

Emhoff spokesperson Katie Peters said the school had alerted the Secret Service about what she said was a "security incident or a report of a potential security incident."

"US Secret Service was made aware of a security threat at a school where the Second Gentleman was meeting with students and faculty," Peters added in a later tweet. "Mr. Emhoff is safe and the school has been evacuated. We are grateful to Secret Service and D.C. Police for their work."

The threat came in a phone call to the front desk announcing there was a bomb inside and giving people 10 minutes to leave, according to Executive Assistant Police Chief Ashan Benedict said. The information was passed along to the Secret Service, prompting Emhoff to be moved out of the area, he added.

Police used bomb technicians and dogs to search the building and concluded there was no threat, Benedict said.