White House on Lockdown after Vehicle Rams into Security Barrier
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - The White House was placed on lockdown after a car struck a security barrier surrounding the complex.
The Secret Service said a woman drove her car into the barrier at 17th and E streets, but did not breach it. No shots were fired and no law enforcement officers were hurt. The woman was immediately apprehended at the scene, the Secret Service said.
Law enforcement sources told CNN that the woman crashed her car intentionally, but that she had not meant to target anyone in the White House. They added that the Secret Service knew of the woman beforehand.
A witness told reporters at the scene he had seen a minivan crash into the barricade and attempt to push through.
"His tires were burning rubber and a lot of smoke was coming up," said witness Chris Bello, according to Reuters. "And then about 30 seconds after that the two security guards that were in the booth, you know, ordered him to stop doing what he was doing and he didn't listen."
Footage from the scene showed a white minivan with an American flag bumper sticker stopped near the barrier, its back window broken.
White House reporters tweeted that the door to the briefing room was locked, and reporters were not allowed in during the lockdown.
The incident came as President Donald Trump hosted Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at the White House. The prime minister stayed inside the building while the incident was investigated, according to the Press Association.
Officers responded to a suspicious vehicle near the White House two days earlier, but did not report any arrests. The nearby New Executive Office Building was briefly evacuated.
