White House evacuated after security breach
Intruder scaled the White House fence and ran to entrance of the presidential residence before he was stopped by security officers
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The White House has been evacuated after an intruder managed to jump the fence and enter building before he was apprehended by security last night.
The security breach occurred just minutes after President Barack Obama left with his daughters at around 7pm.
After scaling the fence on the north side of the White House the intruder, identified by White House security as Omar Gonzalez, 42, from Texas, ran towards the presidential residence, ignoring commands from officers to stop, to the North Portico doors - the columned entrance looking out over Pennsylvania Avenue - before he was apprehended and arrested.
His actions prompted a rare evacuation of the house, as journalists and White House staffers were rushed into the basement and then shepherded out of the side of the command centre by Secret Service agents.
A search of the Texan man, who was transferred to George Washington Hospital after complaining of chest pains, showed he was not armed.
Secret Service spokesperson Ed Donovan said: "This situation was a little different than other incidents we have at the White House".
Although it is not uncommon for people to make it over the White House fence, they are usually stopped almost immediately and rarely get very far before being apprehended.
Mr Donovan added: "There will be a thorough investigation into the incident."
Evacuations at the White House are extremely rare. Typically, when someone jumps the White House fence, the compound is put on lockdown and those inside remain in place while officers respond to the situation.
Last week, the Secret Service apprehended a man who jumped over the same stretch of fence on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, prompting officers to draw their firearms and deploy service togs as they took the man into custody.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments