President Biden's Motorcade Rammed By Driver, Secret Service Swoops In

7:33 AM PT -- The driver in question, 46-year-old James Cooper, has been charged with DUI and inattentive driving ... this according to the Wilmington Police Department.

Part of President Joe Biden's motorcade was involved in a crash, with things so scary the Secret Service thought there was a threat to POTUS' life ... and they moved in quick.

The dramatic moment was caught on video Sunday as Biden and his wife, Jill, were leaving campaign headquarters in Delaware, where there was press outside waiting to ask him questions as he was getting ready to board a waiting SUV and head home for the night.

Right as he was responding to one question about his standing in the polls, you can hear a loud bang off-camera -- which captures the Prez's attention ... and all his SS agents too.

Those around him quickly whisked him away and got him inside the car closest to him, and others swooped in to attend to whatever the heck had just happened there on the street. As it turns out, some Joe Schmo had rammed into one of the motorcade SUVs.

You can tell SS agents didn't know what was going on, and they treated it as an intentional move -- closing in on the driver with guns drawn and telling him to put his hands up .... which he most certainly did. Soon, it became evident ... it was a random accident.

In the end, nobody was harmed ... and cops are now investigating the cause and whether any potential impairment was at play. From the sounds of it, no one was arrested.

Still, pretty dramatic ... good to know these guys are always ready to spring into action.