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Man climbs White House fence; races toward mansion before being seized Man climbs White House fence, races toward mansion before being seized
(34 minutes later)
A man climbed over the White House fence and raced toward the north entrance of the mansion Friday night, apparently only minutes after the president went out the south entrance on his way to spend the weekend at Camp David. A man climbed over the White House fence and raced toward the north entrance of the mansion Friday night, apparently only minutes after the president went out the south entrance on his way to Camp David.
The incident prompted a temporary evacuation of at least parts of the White House, and people were also herded out of Lafayette Park, which is just across the street from the north side of the building. The incident prompted a temporary evacuation of at least parts of the White House, and people were herded out of Lafayette Square, which is north of and just across the street from the building.
The intruder scaled the fence on the Pennsylvania Avenue side of the White House, and got onto the North Lawn, said a witness who was across the street when the incident occurred shortly after 7 p.m. The intruder scaled the fence on the Pennsylvania Avenue side of the White House and reached the North Lawn, said a witness, who was across the street when the incident occurred, shortly after 7 p.m.
“He pretty much landed on his feet and started sprinting,” said the witness, Philipos Melaku-Bello, who was on the sidewalk just across the avenue as part of a peace vigil. “He pretty much landed on his feet and started sprinting,” said the witness, Philipos Melaku-Bello, who taking part in a peace vigil. He said the man “definitely got past the fountain” on the North Lawn. “He got a good run in.”
He said the man “definitely got past the fountain” on the North Lawn. “He got a good run in.” A flurry of shouts went up, calling on the man to halt, with some coming from officers posted on the roof, the witness said.
A flurry of shouts went up, calling on the man to halt, some coming from the officers posted on the roof, the witness said. The man was taken into custody, but not before getting close to the North Portico of the mansion, Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said. The man was not identified immediately, and the motive for the intrusion was unclear.
The man was taken into custody, but not before getting close to the pillared North Portico of the mansion, Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said. According to the White House schedule, the president was expected to leave for the weekend at 7:05 p.m. But the exact time his helicopter lifted off was unclear. It was apparently only a few minutes before the intruder climbed the fence.
The man was not identified immediately, and it was not clear why he had climbed the fence. A video posted on the ABC news Web site showed a man in dark clothing racing toward the White House. It is not uncommon for intruders to jump the fence, but the man appeared to get closer to the mansion than many.
A photograph showed President Obama and his daughters heading toward the helicopter on the South Lawn that was to take them to Camp David. The White House schedule said they were to leave at 7:05 p.m.
It was not immediately clear how long after they left that the incident occurred, but it appeared to be withinf about 10 minutes..
Staff Writer Carol Leonnig contributed to this report.