Two Arrested Near White House After Car Mounts Lafayette Park Sidewalk and Second Person Jumps Barricade
WASHINGTON — Two security incidents unfolded just before 10 a.m. on Monday, November 9, at Lafayette Park on the north side of the White House in Washington, D.C.: a car drove onto the sidewalk on the park's north side and struck a sign, and, around the same time, a second person jumped a barricade at the park's northwest corner. The U.S. Secret Service said both individuals were quickly placed under arrest, the White House was briefly placed on lockdown, and President Donald Trump was at the White House at the time. Whether the two incidents are related is not yet clear, and both remain under investigation.
In its statement, the Secret Service said that just before 10:00 a.m., Secret Service Police and the National Guard responded to the north side of Lafayette Park at 16th Street and H Street, NW, where a vehicle had crashed onto the sidewalk. "The driver was combative with law enforcement, but was quickly placed under arrest," the statement said. Video recorded by witnesses showed a silver sedan stopped on a brick walkway just north of the White House, smoke rising from its hood, with Secret Service personnel and National Guard troops standing by.
"Around the same time, a second individual jumped a barricade near the northwest corner of Lafayette Park. That individual was also quickly placed under arrest," the statement added. NBC4 Washington reported, citing a source familiar with the case, that the driver was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and assault on a police officer, and that the person who jumped the barricade was charged with unlawful entry. The Secret Service has not released the names of either person arrested, and its statement did not list charges.
After the incidents, the Metropolitan Police Department's Explosive Ordinance Disposal team was called to sweep the vehicle as a precaution, and roads around Lafayette Park were closed, the Secret Service said. Journalists inside the White House were directed to remain in the West Wing briefing room. Media reports said the lockdown was lifted after about half an hour, and surrounding roads later reopened.
The Secret Service said both incidents are currently under investigation. Officials have reported no injuries, and no motive has been announced for either person arrested.
(Source: U.S. Secret Service)
Source: U.S. Secret Service
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：白宫北侧正立面，摄于 Lafayette Park 一侧（GSM联邦固定图库）。 / Photo: The north facade of the White House, seen from Lafayette Park (GSM federal asset library).
