White House area under lockdown after car crashes into security barricade
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "White House area under lockdown after car crashes into security barricade")
White House area under lockdown after car crashes into security barricade Photograph: (AFP)
Van crashes into White House security gate at Lafayette Square, triggering downtown Washington lockdown. Secret Service investigates; no injuries reported
A van slammed into a security barricade near the White House early on Wednesday (March 11), police said, triggering a full lockdown of downtown Washington. The vehicle struck a gate at Lafayette Square, just north of the White House, which is an area normally bustling with tourists and office workers. Authorities have not yet released any information about the driver. A Secret Service investigation is underway, and the driver is being questioned. No injuries have been reported so far. The incident occurred as the capital remained under heightened security amid the US-Israel war with Iran. Police closed off several major streets around the White House, halting government employees and city workers from getting to their offices, while traffic congestion snarled the area.
A man was arrested after crashing his car into a security gate near the White House late Tuesday night (October 21). The incident occurred around 10:37 pm at a checkpoint near one of the entrances. U.S. Secret Service officers quickly detained the driver, whose identity was later confirmed after authorities searched the vehicle and determined it posed no threat.
Similar incidents have occurred before. In January and May 2024, vehicles also struck security gates near the White House, raising initial security concerns but ultimately being deemed non-threatening. In the January 2024 case, a driver crashed into an outer gate and was taken into custody. The Secret Service said there was no danger to the White House or nearby areas, and then-President Joe Biden was not at the residence at the time.
In another incident in May 2024, a man died after driving his vehicle into a security barrier near the White House. The Secret Service later confirmed that the crash did not pose a threat to public safety, according to a report by The New York Times.
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