A security alert was triggered at the White House on Thursday afternoon, April 16, after a man attempted to scale a perimeter fence, leading to a swift takedown by US Secret Service agents.
He is thought to have jumped over a construction bollard near the Treasury Building on the north-east side of the complex in an alleged bid to breach the perimeter, according to a Secret Service spokesperson.
The man was intercepted almost instantly and taken into custody. One officer suffered a non-life-threatening laceration during a “physical altercation” with the man, the spokesperson confirmed. Both the officer and the suspect were subsequently taken to a nearby hospital for assessment.
Secret Service Communications Chief Anthony Guglielmi told Newsweek: “Shortly after 11:30 a.m., a man was quickly detained by uniformed U.S. Secret Service police officers after jumping over a construction bollard near the Treasury Building on the northeast side of the complex.
“Officers encountered the individual near a pedestrian gate, where he engaged in a physical altercation before being taken into custody. One officer sustained a laceration. Both the officer and the suspect underwent medical evaluation for non-life-threatening injuries.”
This follows reports that the US Secret Service announced on April 5 that it was looking into accounts of gunfire overnight near Lafayette Park, situated opposite the White House, reports the Mirror.
No injuries were reported, and no suspect was located following a search of the park and surrounding area after midnight, the agency confirmed in an online statement. President Donald Trump had been at the White House over the weekend.
