The US Secret Service was embarrassed when its agents were filmed breaking into a Massachusetts salon to quench their thirst before an event hosted by Vice President Kamala Harris. The agency had to apologize to the salon owner, who did not allow use of her business or the restrooms, Fox News reported.
The incident occurred on July 27 as the Secret Service secured the area for Harris’ first in-person fundraiser since she was expected to become the Democratic nominee.
Alicia Powers, the owner of Four One Three Salon in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, told Business Insider that Secret Service agents taped over her security cameras and broke into her building by picking the lock.
Security camera footage showed a Secret Service agent overwriting the camera and later four people entering the salon without permission. The salon’s security alarm sounded throughout the incident.
Powers said she closed her salon at the request of the Secret Service, which conducted a bomb search earlier in the week.
“They had a lot of people here again clearing some bombs. They completely understood what they had to do given the nature of the situation,” Powers said. “And at that point, my team felt like it was a little bit chaotic and we just made the decision to close for Saturday.”
On the day of the incident, several people, including those in emergency services and state police uniforms, entered the salon without permission to use the restroom, the owner claimed.
“For about an hour and a half, several people were in the house on and off – they were just using my bathroom, the alarms were going off, they were using my counter, without permission,” she said.
Power further claimed that the agents and others left the building unlocked after they left and that they did not remove the tape from the camera.
The building’s landlord, Brian Smith, also confirmed that no one had given Secret Service agents permission to enter the premises.
The Secret Service confirmed the incident and apologized to Powers. A spokesperson said agency employees “do not enter a store without the owner’s permission.” The agency did not deny, however, that an agent had taped over the security camera lens.
Powers received an apology from the Secret Service’s Boston office, but remains angry about the lack of respect shown to her company.
“Whoever was visiting, whether they were a celebrity or not, I probably would have opened the door and made them coffee and brought in doughnuts to give them a great afternoon,” she said. “But they didn’t even have the audacity to ask permission. They just helped themselves.”
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