New White House fence jumper; apprehended before reaching residence
Another man jumps White House fence, is apprehended on lawn by K-9 squad
(about 1 hour later)
Only weeks after a knife-carrying, fence-jumping intruder made it deep inside the White House, Secret Service officials apprehended a person Wednesday night who jumped the White House fence. The intruder was captured well before reaching the residence.
A man jumped the White House fence Wednesday night — only weeks after another fence jumper led to revelations about Secret Service failures — and was taken into custody after being bitten by a guard dog, officials said.
Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan identified him as Dominic Adesanya, 23, of Bel Air, Md. Donovan said that Adesanya was unarmed when he was apprehended, and charges are pending against him.
Secret Service agents quickly apprehended the latest fence jumper, who authorities identified as Dominic Adesanya, 23, of Bel Air, Md.
“An individual jumped the north fence of the White House” at 7:16 p.m., said Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan. “He was immediately taken into custody by canine units and Uniformed Division officers.” No shots were fired, Donovan said.
D.C. fire and emergency medical services spokesman Tim Wilson said the man was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries from a dog bite.
D.C. fire and emergency medical services spokesman Tim Wilson said a man was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries from a dog bite.
Authorities shut down Lafayette Park after the incident, moving dozens of tourists to H Street. Reports said the White House was under lockdown. President Obama was apparently in the building, but his precise whereabouts were unknown.
Donovan said that two K-9s were also taken to a veterinarian with injuries sustained during the encounter with Adesanya.
The incident was the latest in a string of security incidents at the White House that have unsettled administration officials and led to the resignation of Secret Service Director Julia Pierson. On Sept. 19, a man scaled the fence and ran far into the executive mansion through an unlocked front door. Omar J. Gonzalez, 42, a U.S. Army veteran who has said he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, has pleaded not guilty.
The White House was under lockdown for more than 90 minutes afterward. Authorities shut down Lafayette Park after the incident, moving dozens of tourists to H Street. By 9 p.m., officers were allowing people inside the White House to leave and credentialed staff to enter the area. By 9:45 p.m., members of the public wereallowed to access areas of Pennsylvania Avenue and Lafayette Park.
A man was apprehended on Wednesday after jumping White House fence. Video shows the man kicking a dog while officials try to apprehend him. (YouTube.com/FOX 5 DC)
Asked whether the incident had any apparent links to Wednesday’s attack by at least one armed gunman on the Canadian parliament in Ottawa, Donovan said the incident was under investigation and he had no further information.
The firestorm of criticism from that incident led to revelations about other recent Secret Service failures. Pierson resigned after being excoriated by House lawmakers, and investigations of the Sept. 19 incident are ongoing.
Donovan said the Secret Service is closely monitoring events in Canada.
On Wednesday night, Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan said: “An individual jumped the north fence of the White House. He was immediately taken into custody by canine units and Uniformed Division officers.” No shots were fired, Donovan said.
He said he was unaware of any changes in the security posture around the White House perimeter tonight, but added that protocols following fence jumpings were being followed that involved, among other things, clearing the immediate area.
Philippe Melaku-Bello, a peace protester who said he regularly spends time outside the White House, said he saw five to six officers with batons out, standing over a man on the ground about 40 feet west of the center of the White House on the northern side. He said the man was not moving. Officers immediately started moving bystanders farther from the White House. While Melaku-Bello was moving away, he heard the barking of a dog, he said.
Philippe Melaku-Bello, a peace protester who said he regularly spends time outside the White House, said he saw five to six officers with batons out standing over a man on the ground, about 40 feet west of the center of the White House on the northern side. He said the man was not moving. Officers immediately started moving bystanders farther from the White House. While he was moving away, he heard the barking of a Secret Service dog.
Clarence Williams, Ed O’Keefe and Spencer H. Hsu contributed to this report.
A second witness, Bruce Wang, said he and his wife, Lynn, visitors from China, saw a person run at least 20 feet inside the fence before being surrounded by about five Secret Service agents. Police quickly moved them and a large crowd of fellow tourists away from the fence. Like Melaku-Bello, they also said they heard a barking dog, and no gunshot.
Fox News tweeted a video which appears to show the intruder kicking and punching a dog.
WATCH: A person scaled #WhiteHouse fence tonight, but was stopped and subdued by #SecretService agents. https://t.co/0JiVR5LTSX — Fox News (@FoxNews) October 22, 2014
WATCH: A person scaled #WhiteHouse fence tonight, but was stopped and subdued by #SecretService agents. https://t.co/0JiVR5LTSX
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 22, 2014
Authorities lit up flood lights on the North Lawn as they investigated on Wednesday night. About half a dozen police were stationed in Lafayette Park, and dozens more stood along Pennsylvania Avenue.
Omar Gonzalez, who jumped the White House fence in September, was tackled by an off-duty Secret Service agent at the White House. The incident prompted a firestorm of criticism that led to the resignation of the Secret Service chief.
Clarence Williams, Spencer Hsu, Juliet Eilperin and Alice Crites also contributed to this report.
