Orhan Cam / Shutterstock.com
Someone Else Jumped the White House Fence. This Is What Happened.
Unlike last time, the system worked. But the video isn’t pretty.
Another person jumped the White House fence Wednesday night. This time, however, crossing onto the front lawn of the executive building didn't end so well for the jumper. After a month of criticism and embarrassment, the Secret Service got to flex its muscle.
The man scaled the fence at about 7:16 p.m., Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan told The Washington Post. Two dogs from the agency's K9 unit stopped the jumper, NPR's Tamara Keith reports. If you're wondering exactly what that looks like, here's video from Fox:
Donovan said Secret Service officers did not fire any shots during the incident.
Officers cleared tourists from the 1600 block of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House, and there were reports of a White House lockdown, according to The Post.
The video and reports from the scene suggest that the intruder at least attempted to punch his canine assailants. After he was apprehended, the jumper was transported to a hospital, where he was treated for bites he sustained from the K9 dogs.
The K9 dogs were also injured in the altercation. The dogs, Hurricane and Jordan, were taken to a veterinarian Wednesday night and cleared for duty Thursday morning. Both "are doing fine," tweeted CNN's Steve Brusk.
The jumper's quick apprehension is a significant departure from what happened in September, when a man hopped the fence and made it as far as the White House's East Room before officers stopped him. It turned out later that he had hundreds of rounds of ammunition in his car.
That incident, along with a series of other service slip-ups, led to a heated congressional hearing and the resignation of the agency's director, Julia Pierson.
While the system appears to have worked this time, the latest incident could generate more calls for tighter restrictions on public access to the area outside of the White House. Law enforcement, much to the chagrin of D.C. residents and tourists, has been considering blocking off parts of the street from pedestrians. Less access to the White House won't make tourists happy, but a second fence-jumper in two months could prompt officials to seriously consider such an option.
(Image via Orhan Cam / Shutterstock.com)