According to a US Secret Service spokesman, a truck driver was arrested after crashing into security barriers in Lafayette Square, near the White House. Following an initial investigation, authorities determined that the driver may have intentionally caused the crash.
According to Secret Service liaison Anthony Guglielmi’s Twitter account, there were no injuries to White House staff or Secret Service in the recent incident and further investigations are underway to determine the cause and circumstances surrounding the event.
On social media, a brief video clip captured a U-Haul colliding with barriers just a short distance away.
The Secret Service has declared that several street closures and pedestrian paths near the White House will be in effect until further notice.
According to Fox 5 TV news, a hotel in the vicinity of the White House was evacuated as a result of an incident.
🚨#BREAKING: A U-Haul truck rams into security barriers outside the White House
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) May 23, 2023
📌#Washington l #DC
Currently multiple law enforcements and the secret service along with bomb squad are on the scene after a U-Haul truck crashes and rams into security barriers outside near the… pic.twitter.com/QNO28VJMEx
The White House has yet to confirm whether President Joe Biden was in the building when the incident took place, and the Secret Service has not provided any details. Let’s hope everyone involved is safe and sound.
The Secret Service, affiliated with the Department of Homeland Security, is responsible for the safety of the US president and their family, the vice president, former presidents, presidential candidates, ministers and visiting foreign dignitaries.
The agency has a workforce of 3,200, with about 1,300 dedicated to protection and security duties. Although members don’t don official clothing, they prefer conservative civilian attire, typically donning dark suits. Most agents obscure their identities with black sunglasses, adding an air of intrigue.
