Secret Service officers arrested a 35 year-old woman who drove her white mini van intentionally hit the barricade of the White House
Friday, February 23, 2018
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Secret Service Uniform Division police look at a vehicle that reportedly plowed into a barricade on the edge of the the White House complex, in Washington, DC, USA, 23 February 2018. According to the Secret Service the vehicle did not breach the secure barrier of the White House and that the female driver was apprehended by uniformed officers. EPA-EFE pic |
VietPress USA (Feb. 23, 2018): Many news sources reported that a Tennessee woman driving a white van on Friday intentionally drove into a White House security barrier but did not breach it, and she was immediately apprehended and put under arrest, the US Secret Service said.
A reporter for the local Fox channel affiliate tweeted that a witness had reported seeing officers pull a woman out of the vehicle's window at gunpoint. He posted a photograph of what he said was the white Chevrolet minivan that hit the barrier.
Reuters video showed the minivan with an American flag emblem on the back and with both its rear window and a side window smashed. The video showed a law enforcement officer checking the underside of the van with a mirror.
CNN, citing unnamed law enforcement sources, said the action of driving into the barricade was not directed at the president or anyone at the White House and that mental health issues may have been a factor.
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Vehicle strikes security barrier by White House, driver apprehended
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A Secret Service officer checks a white passenger vehicle that struck a security barrier guarding the southwest entrance to the White House grounds off of 17th Street n Washington on Friday. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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Law enforcement sources told Fox News that the driver
intentionally hit the barricade. But they did not describe it as an attack
against the White House, saying the woman suffers from mental problems and the
crash was not about President Trump.
The incident nevertheless caused the White House to increase
security. It remained on lockdown for about an hour.
The driver was identified as Jessica Ford, a law enforcement
source confirmed to Fox News. The woman is 35 years old and from La Vergene,
Tennessee, according to a statement from the Secret Service.
A Secret Service officer checks a white passenger vehicle that struck a security barrier that guards the southwest entrance to the White House grounds off of 17th Street n Washington, Friday, Feb. 23, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
"The Secret Service has had previous encounters with
the female in the vicinity of the White House resulting in numerous arrests for
a variety of criminal violations," the statement said.
UPDATE: The female driver of the vehicle was immediately
apprehended by Secret Service Uniformed Division Officers.
She was charged Friday "with numerous criminal
violations" and turned over to the District of Columbia police department.
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| The view down 17th Street after Secret Service reports a car crashed into a barrier on perimeter of White House complex. |
The view down 17th Street after Secret Service reports a car crashed into a barrier on perimeter of White House complex.
The incident happened as President Trump was hosting
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull inside.
Witnesses saw a commotion on the White House grounds as
security officers responded.
The Secret Service later tweeted that the vehicle, a white
minivan, “did not breach” the security barrier, and the female driver was “immediately
apprehended.”
“No law enforcement personnel were injured during the
incident involving a vehicle hitting a barrier near the White House,” the
Secret Service tweeted.
The Secret Service also said no shots were fired during the
incident.
In a tweet Friday evening, President Trump commended
"the great men and women of the" U.S. Secret Service "for a job
well done!"
Fox News' John Roberts, Jennifer Bowman and The Associated
Press contributed to this report.
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