A dramatic security incident unfolded outside the White House on Saturday afternoon when a man drove onto the sidewalk and demanded to speak with President Donald Trump, prompting an immediate Secret Service response.
Law enforcement and military personnel rushed to the area near Lafayette Square after the vehicle mounted the sidewalk at 16th and H streets Northwest shortly after 12:15 p.m.
Officers detained the unidentified driver, photographed him in handcuffs and surrounded the vehicle while conducting a search.
The man reportedly insisted on speaking directly with Trump. However, the president was not at the White House when the incident occurred.
According to his public schedule, Trump was spending Saturday at Camp David in Maryland.
The incident triggered an extensive security operation along the northern edge of the White House complex. Secret Service vehicles raced to the scene, while authorities temporarily shut down nearby 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.
The agency said the search found no dangerous materials inside the vehicle.
An unidentified person was arrested by US Secret Service officers near the White House outside Lafayette Square in Washington, DC, on Saturday.
The man was detained near the White House after driving onto the sidewalk and demanding to speak with President Trump.
Secret Service officers detained the driver, closed nearby roads and searched his vehicle before taking him to a hospital for a mental health evaluation.
The man was later taken to a nearby hospital for a ‘mental health evaluation,’ the Secret Service said.
Authorities have not released the man’s identity. They also have not said what led him to drive onto the sidewalk or why he allegedly wanted to meet Trump.
Images from the scene showed a large law-enforcement presence, with officers inspecting the vehicle and restricting access to part of the surrounding area.
The intersection is directly beside Lafayette Square and falls within the tightly secured zone surrounding the White House.
The National Park Service says the White House area includes parkland and nearby sidewalks extending north to H Street and west to 17th Street.
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The Secret Service credited its officers with quickly 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 episode follows a series of security incidents near one of the most heavily protected buildings in the United States.
The man’s silver Toyota Highlander was driven onto the sidewalk near a section blocked off by barricades.
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.