US Secret Service agents shot an armed man near the White House during the night, an agency spokesman said early Sunday, while President Donald Trump was spending the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

The man had been hospitalized and his condition was "unknown," the spokesman said in a statement that did not specify whether the White House or Trump may have been the intended target.

No injuries to Secret Service agents were reported, according to the statement posted by spokesman Anthony Guglielmi on social media platform X.

The agents had been warned by local police of a "suicidal" man travelling to Washington from Indiana and around midnight found his parked vehicle near 17th and F Streets, the statement said — very near the White House.

They then spotted an individual nearby who matched the description they had been given, the statement said.

"As officers approached, the individual brandished a firearm and an armed confrontation ensued, during which shots were fired by our personnel," the statement said. 

"The suspect was transported to an area hospital and his condition is unknown," it said, adding that Washington police were investigating.