Two people were arrested near the White House on Monday after a car struck a signpost at Lafayette Park and another person separately jumped a security barricade. The incidents prompted a temporary lockdown at the presidential complex, where President Donald Trump was present. Secret Service personnel detained the driver after a physical confrontation, according to local media reports.
Car hits signpost near Lafayette Park
The incident occurred shortly before 10 am local time on the northern edge of the park. A silver car moved onto the pavement and struck a signpost, according to reports and footage from the scene. The vehicle did not reach the White House gates, which were more than a block away.
Secret Service officers and members of the National Guard approached the vehicle after the collision. The driver resisted as personnel attempted to take him into custody, with the Secret Service later describing him as “combative with law enforcement”. Video footage showed several officers surrounding the car before the man was restrained.
Following the arrest, Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department sent an explosives disposal team to examine the vehicle as a precaution, while officers closed roads near Lafayette Park.
Second arrest as Secret Service orders White House lockdown
At about the same time, another person jumped over a barricade near the park’s north-western corner. Secret Service personnel arrested that individual as well. Officials described the two episodes as separate incidents, and no connection between those detained had been established in the information released by the agency.
Trump was inside the White House during the two incidents.
Security arrangements around Lafayette Park
Lafayette Park lies north of the presidential residence, across Pennsylvania Avenue. It is a familiar location for visitors, demonstrators and journalists.
The area has also been the subject of plans to change security arrangements. In September, the National Capital Planning Commission reviewed a proposal for a fence measuring eight to ten feet high, with gates around Lafayette Park. The plans were submitted by federal officials as part of a proposed improvement to access controls near the White House.
The Secret Service said both Monday incidents were under investigation. As of the initial official account, the authorities had not announced charges against either person or confirmed whether anyone had been injured in the crash or the arrests.
