Rachel Sadon
Photo by John Sonderman
This post has been updated
The White House was briefly on lockdown this afternoon after a man jumped the fence at 17th and G Streets NW, according to D.C. Fire and EMS. They winkingly added: “We even help catch the bad guys.”
White House Fence jumper near 17th & G – Now in custody. May have minor injury to hand. DC Fire/ EMS – we even help catch the bad-guys.
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) April 26, 2016
The Secret Service said the man was fleeing the scene of a nearby robbery, WUSA reports. He has been taken to the hospital for an evaluation.
Transporting suspected White House fence jumper to nearby hospital for evaluation. Always glad to assist @DCPoliceDept & @SecretService
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) April 26, 2016
In a pool report jus after 4 p.m., the Washington Blade’s Chris Johnson reported that the door inside the Brady Briefing Room was locked and the Secret Service instructed people to stay inside.
White House on lockdown due to security incident, Secret Service says – @kristindonnelly
— NBC Nightly News (@NBCNightlyNews) April 26, 2016
The North Lawn as seen now from inside the White House. We are in lockdown but all seems mostly calm pic.twitter.com/0sU6lQfXjm
— Josh Lederman (@joshledermanAP) April 26, 2016
But the lockdown was lifted shortly thereafter.
UPDATE: @WhiteHouse lockdown lifted. pic.twitter.com/c50diXpfBe
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) April 26, 2016
White House lockdown appears over. Front door of the press room is unlocked and open.
— Fred Lucas (@FredLucasWH) April 26, 2016
In the wake of multiple high profile incidents of fence jumping, the White House installed a second layer of spikes last year. In November, Joseph Caputo scaled the fence, draped in an American flag and with a binder in his mouth, while the Obamas were inside celebrating Thanksgiving.
A report released last week highlighted the security flaws that allowed Omar Jose Gonzalez to make it all the way into the East Room in September of 2014.
