Authorities in D.C. arrested a person near the White House who crashed a vehicle into the exterior gate of the president’s mansion complex, according to the Secret Service.
The incident happened around 6 p.m. Monday.
President Joe Biden was out of town and therefore not home when the crash occurred.
“The driver has been taken into custody and we are investigating the cause and manner of the collision,” said Secret Service chief of communications Anthony Guglielmi, in a post on X.
Roads were closed in the area as police inspected the vehicle. After the vehicle was cleared, traffic closures were lifted, said Guglielmi.
The White House has experienced a number of trespassing incidents in recent years, prompting a tougher metal fence to be built around the perimeter in 2020.
In 2017, an intruder was arrested after scaling the White House fence and entering the grounds, while then-President Donald Trump was home.
When Barack Obama was president in 2014, an Iraq War veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder jumped the White House fence and entered the building’s front door. A knife was found on his person.
While it is not known if the crash was intentional in this most recent incident, the driver remains in police custody.
An investigation remains ongoing.
