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Secret Service: Motorist who followed motorcade onto White House grounds “made a mistake” Secret Service: Motorist who followed motorcade onto White House grounds “made a mistake”
(about 1 hour later)
The man arrested Tuesday afternoon when he entered the Obama daughters’ motorcade made a mistake and was simply confused about D.C. roads, the U.S. Secret Service confirmed Wednesday. The man arrested Tuesday afternoon when he followed the Obama daughters’ motorcade made a mistake and was simply confused about D.C. roads, the U.S. Secret Service confirmed Wednesday.
An Internal Revenue Service computer worker, the man doesn’t come to downtown Washington often and didn’t realize he was getting into a Secret Service motorcade. An Internal Revenue Service computer worker, the man does not come to downtown Washington often and did not realize he was trailing a Secret Service motorcade.
“He was at a function downtown with colleagues, and said he was just checked out mentally and confused,” said one official familiar with the incident. “It seems to be bad luck on his part.” “He was at a function downtown with colleagues, and said he was just checked out mentally and confused,” said one official familiar with the incident. “It seems to be bad luck on his part. “
The man, Mathew E. Goldstein, is charged with a misdemeanor, unlawful entry, and is scheduled to appear in D.C. Superior Court Wednesday afternoon. The man, Mathew E. Goldstein, is charged with unlawful entry, a misdemeanor, and is scheduled to appear in D.C. Superior Court Wednesday afternoon.
The White House was locked down for more than an hour after the incident at 4:40 p.m. Ed Donovan, a Secret Service spokesman, said the vehicle trailed the motorcade as it went through the outer perimeter checkpoint at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW.The White House was locked down for more than an hour after the incident at 4:40 p.m. Ed Donovan, a Secret Service spokesman, said the vehicle trailed the motorcade as it went through the outer perimeter checkpoint at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW.
Donovan said Goldstein, 55, was “immediately stopped” by uniformed Secret Service officers and was taken into custody. D.C. police officers were searching the car Tuesday evening. Donovan said Goldstein, 55, was “immediately stopped” by uniformed Secret Service officers. He was taken into custody, and D.C. police officers searched his car.
Staff writer Peter Hermann contributed to this report. It is not uncommon for a presidential motorcade to be inadvertently breached when the president travels outside of the District, and it happens dozens of times a year, according to a former agent.
The intrusion happens when checkpoints are unmanned prematurely and cars enter the lengthy motorcade, which can have substantial gaps between the more than 20 vehicles. The overwhelming majority of breaches are considered mistakes.
But having a breach at the 17th Street checkpoint is extremely unusual, according to two law enforcement sources who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The mechanical security barriers at the checkpoint were apparently not raised Tuesday afternoon when Goldstein entered behind the last vehicle in the Obama girls’ motorcade.
When asked how Goldstein was able to breach the outer perimeter, Donovan said the Secret Service would “have to review and find out how that did happen.”
Former Secret Service officials characterized the incident as a modest failure of security, noting that while the driver maneuvered past the checkpoint he does not appear to have breached the “secure package” of the motorcade by getting past the rear-most vehicle.
“Obviously, any failure is basically viewed as unacceptable with the Service,” said W. Ralph Basham, who served as director of the agency from 2003-2006. He speculated that the officers at the security gate did not have time to get the gates back up before the vehicle got through.
“It’s the human element,” Basham said. “You’re not expecting to see something like that and when it’s that quick, being able to react in a timely fashion is challenging.”
Both Basham and another former Secret Service agent, who has experience with motorcades, said Obama’s daughters would have been traveling in a “stripped down” motorcade with far fewer support vehicles than the president’s entourage. In some cases, the smaller motorcades do not travel with local police escorts so as not to draw attention, they said.
Basham said there were instances during his tenure where confused motorists got near the motorcade, but they were forced out by police or intelligence vehicles. He could not recall any instance where a motorist got near the motorcade with the intent of doing harm to the president or another dignitary.
The president and first lady Michelle Obama likely would be briefed on Tuesday’s incident, he said.
“I’m sure they would be curious about whether this should have happened,” Basham said.
Staff writers David Nakamura and Peter Hermann contributed to this report.
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