The incident forced a rare evacuation of much of the presidential residence. A suspect was arrested and taken to a hospital for evaluation, the Secret Service said.
"This dude just jumped the fence right in front of me!! He made it pretty far didn't see them catch him," eyewitness Brandon Pawlinski said on Instagram.
A man who scaled the fence of the White House Friday sprinted across the lawn and made it through the front doors of the presidential residence before he was apprehended by officers, the Secret Service said.
The unarmed intruder, who was identified as Omar J. Gonzalez, 42, of Copperas Cove, Texas, was arrested just inside the North Portico doors of the White House that face Pennsylvania Ave.
The scare forced a rare evacuation of much of the building, including the press inside the Briefing Room in the West Wing. Secret Service agents evacuated journalists from the area, and officers were seen combing the complex with their guns drawn.
Gonzalez was taken into custody and later transported to George Washington University Hospital for medical evaluation, the Secret Service said.
The intrusion, which occurred just minutes after President Obama and his daughters departed the White House aboard Marine One for the weekend at Camp David, raises serious questions about the security at what is considered to be one of the safest places in the world.
Last week, another man scaled the White House fence on the anniversary of Sept. 11, prompting a lockdown. The suspect was seen being apprehended by Secret Service officers on the lawn.
"This situation was a little different than other incidents we have at the White House," Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan told the Associated Press. "There will be a thorough investigation into the incident."
from BuzzFeed - Breaking http://ift.tt/1wQ8GLr
No comments:
Post a Comment