A female Internal Revenue Service (IRS) special agent shot and wounded one of two suspects who attempted to rob her while she was on duty in the Bayview District of San Francisco during the early morning August 5.

The 36-year-old IRS agent, whose name has not been released by police, was walking in the 100 block of Marlin Court at around midnight when the two suspects approached her and demanded money, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report.

At some point during the confrontation, the agent pulled out a gun and fired at the suspects, wounding one. The injured man, whose name has not been released, was taken to San Francisco General Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, the article stated. The IRS agent was not injured during the attempted robbery.

The other assailant fled the scene; however, officers found a possible suspect nearby and detained him. Police had not arrested the man in connection with the attempted robbery as of Thursday afternoon.

IRS spokeswoman Special Agent Arlette Lee told the San Francisco Chronicle that the agent is an investigator with the agency's criminal investigation division, but declined to provide additional details.

The agent has been placed on paid leave pending investigations by San Francisco police, the district attorney's office, and the IRS, the newspaper reported.

IRS special agents are armed and investigate financial crimes, such as Ponzi schemes, income-tax evasion, and money laundering. The IRS states these investigative accountants search for evidence of criminal conduct.

Along with their financial investigative skills, IRS special agents use specialized forensic technology to recover financial data that may have been encrypted, password protected, or hidden by other electronic means.

According to the IRS Criminal Investigation Directives, the nature of a special agent's duties requires that they respond in a safe and timely manner 24 hours a day.

"Special agents are not expected to be armed at all times, but must have access to their assigned firearm when required to perform official duties," the directive on firearms states.