An armed man believed to be travelling from Indiana was shot by US Secret Service agents near the White House after a confrontation early Sunday, according to authorities.

No one else was injured in the shooting that happened around midnight about a block from the White House, according to a Secret Service statement. President Donald Trump was in Florida at the time of the shooting.

The Secret Service received information from local police about an alleged “suicidal individual” who was travelling from Indiana and found the man's car and a person matching his description nearby.

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

The man was hospitalised. The Secret Service said his condition was “unknown”.

The Metropolitan Police Department will investigate because the shooting involved law enforcement officers. A message left Sunday for the police department wasn't immediately returned.