A driver died after crashing a vehicle into a gate at the White House Saturday night, authorities said. The driver was found dead in the vehicle following the crash shortly before 10:30 p.m. at an outer perimeter gate of the White House complex, the US Secret Service said in a statement.
Security protocols were implemented but there was no threat to the White House, the agency said. The driver was not immediately identified. It was not immediately known whether US President Joe Biden was present inside his official residence when the incident happened.
The Secret Service will continue to investigate the matter while turning over the fatal crash portion of the investigation to the Washington Metropolitan Police Department, the agency said.
Similar incident occurred in January
The major security lapse came nearly four months after the US authorities detained a person near the White House who crashed a vehicle into an exterior gate of the presidential mansion complex. According to the Secret Service agents, Biden was out of town at the time of the incident, and security officials did not say whether it was a traffic accident or intended as an attack.
It is worth mentioning this was not the first time when a major security lapse was reported in the media. In fact, the official residence of the POTUS has seen a string of high-profile trespassing incidents in recent years. In 2020, a higher, tougher metal fence around the iconic mansion's perimeter was constructed to provide a guard to the incumbent President. When Donald Trump was the president, a man scaled a White House fence traipsed the grounds for more than 16 minutes before he was arrested in 2017.
(With inputs from agency)
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