A car collided with an exterior gate on the White House complex just before 6 p.m. Monday, as confirmed by a Secret Service spokesperson.
The driver was apprehended, and the Secret Service is actively probing the "cause and manner of the collision," stated Anthony Guglielmi, the Secret Service's chief of communications.
The Secret Service arrested an individual after a vehicle collided with a White House gate.
— Mike Walker (@New_Narrative) January 9, 2024
President Biden, earlier engaged in a campaign event in South Carolina, subsequently traveled to Dallas that evening.
“Shortly before 6p.m., a vehicle collided with an exterior gate on the White House complex. The driver has been taken into custody & we are investigating the cause & manner of the collision,” Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Expect traffic implications at 15th Street & Pennsylvania Ave & adjacent intersections.”
Traffic around 15th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. experienced disruptions, but closures were lifted after the vehicle's removal by the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department around 7:30 p.m. Images from the scene display a silver Cadillac Escalade bearing Virginia plates.
"In a subsequent tweet after 7:30 p.m., Guglielmi said the vehicle had been cleared from the scene and that traffic closures would be lifted for the area. He added that the driver remains in custody as the investigation continues," NBC News reported.
Authorities have yet to disclose any details about the driver, and potential charges remain uncertain at this time.
The Secret Service highlighted that while premature to assume intent, there is presently no threat to the White House complex or its neighboring area.
This incident echoes previous events involving vehicles breaching security barriers outside the White House.
In a past occurrence in May 2023, a Missouri man with intentions of seizing power and harming the president crashed a U-Haul truck into security barriers near the White House.
The individual, Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, from Chesterfield, Missouri, had meticulously planned his actions, aiming to assume control of the nation. He expressed willingness to resort to violence, according to court documents.
In another incident in December 2023, a car collided with a parked SUV shielding President Biden's motorcade as the president and first lady were leaving his campaign headquarters in Delaware.
The driver faces charges of driving under the influence, with neither the president nor the first lady sustaining injuries as the investigation continues into the concerning matter.
