Security breach near White House after man drives onto sidewalk and demands to speak to Trump
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By JAMES GORDON, US NEWS REPORTER
Published: | Updated:
There was a dramatic security scare outside the White House on Saturday afternoon after a man drove onto a sidewalk and demanded to speak to President Donald Trump, triggering a rapid response from the Secret Service.
Law enforcement and military personnel descended on the area near Lafayette Square after the vehicle mounted the sidewalk at 16th and H streets Northwest shortly after 12:15pm.
The unidentified driver was detained and photographed in handcuffs as officers surrounded and searched his vehicle.
The man had been demanding to speak directly to Trump, but the president was not even at the White House at the time.
Trump was spending Saturday at Camp David in Maryland, according to his public schedule.
The alarming incident sparked an immediate security operation around the northern edge of the White House complex, with Secret Service vehicles rushing to the scene and authorities temporarily closing local roads.
'Out of an abundance of caution, local roads were shut down, and the vehicle was swept with negative results,' a Secret Service spokesperson said.
No dangerous materials were discovered in the vehicle during the search, according to the agency.
An unidentified person outside Lafayette Square was arrested by US Secret Service officers near the White House, on Saturday in Washington, DC
The man was arrested near the White House after driving his car onto the sidewalk and demanding to speak with President Trump.
Secret Service officers detained the driver, shut nearby roads and searched his vehicle before taking him to a hospital for a mental health evaluation
The man was subsequently transported to a nearby hospital for a 'mental health evaluation,' the Secret Service added.
The man's identity has not been publicly released, and authorities have not disclosed what may have prompted him to drive onto the sidewalk or why he allegedly wanted to see Trump.
Images from the scene showed a heavy law-enforcement presence as officers examined the vehicle and cordoned off part of the surrounding area.
The intersection where the man drove sits immediately beside Lafayette Square and within the tightly controlled security zone surrounding the White House.
The National Park Service defines the White House area as including parkland and adjacent sidewalks stretching north to H Street and west to 17th Street.
The Secret Service praised officers for rapidly securing the area.
'We appreciate the swift actions of our Secret Service Police Officers and are grateful to the Metropolitan Police Department for their prompt response,' the agency spokesperson said.
Saturday's scare comes after a string of security incidents around one of the most heavily protected buildings in the country.
The man's silver Toyota Highlander pulled up onto the sidewalk close to an area which is barricaded off
The dramatic incident unfolded just steps from the heavily fortified White House complex
Secret Service officers quickly surrounded the vehicle and placed the driver in handcuffs
An unidentified person outside Lafayette Square is arrested by US Secret Service officers near the White House
The man was taken to a local hospital for a mental health evaluation following the scare
The investigation into exactly what led to the incident remains ongoing.
Authorities have not announced criminal charges against the man or publicly detailed what he allegedly said while demanding to speak with the president.
Just months earlier, on May 23, gunfire erupted near the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and 17th Street Northwest, close to the White House complex.
Two people were struck in that incident before the alleged shooter, later identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best, approached the White House complex and pulled a firearm from a bag, according to previous reports.
Best allegedly fired several shots before Secret Service personnel opened fire, killing him.
That shooting was itself preceded by another vehicle-related scare in March, when a van crashed through a barricade near Connecticut Avenue and H Street at approximately 6:30am.
The Secret Service said at the time that the driver was detained and questioned.
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