A driver was taken into custody after crashing into an exterior gate of the White House on Monday evening.
Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi revealed in a statement that an “investigation” surrounding the man’s “motivations” was ongoing, according to The New York Times.
“We can definitely say that there’s no risk to the complex or the adjacent neighborhood, and the investigation into his motivations continue,” Guglielmi said in his statement.
Shortly before 6p.m., a vehicle collided with an exterior gate on the White House complex. The driver has been taken into custody & we are investigating the cause & manner of the collision. Expect traffic implications at 15th Street & Pennsylvania Ave & adjacent intersections. pic.twitter.com/n3M7zsFkvm
— Anthony Guglielmi (@SecretSvcSpox) January 8, 2024
Video footage and images of the incident show the back of a grayish-tan vehicle stopped in front of a security checkpoint with the doors of the car wide open.
While no damage was visible, the front of the car was not seen in the images or videos.
Guglielmi confirmed in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the accident had occurred “shortly before 6 p.m.,” and that the driver’s vehicle had “collided with an exterior gate on the White House complex.”
Shortly after 7:30 p.m., Guglielmi posted another statement to X confirming that the vehicle had been “cleared” by the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C., and that traffic closures would be lifted.
President Joe Biden was not at the White House at the time of the accident as he was on his way to Dallas, Texas to attend a memorial service for Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas).
In December 2023, a Delaware man was arrested and charged with Driving a Vehicle Under the Influence of Alcohol and Inattentive Driving (DUI) after he rammed an SUV in Biden’s motorcade.
Prior to this, in May, a 19-year-old driver crashed a rented U-Haul truck into security barriers outside of the White House. The man reportedly told Secret Service agents that he planned to take power and kill Biden.