White House partially evacuated after man jumps fence

In a rare occurrence, the White House was partially evacuated after a man climbed over its fence and sprinted through the lawn and the front door, minutes after US President Barack Obama had left the high-security compound with his family.

The man, who was not armed, was apprehended just inside the front doors, secret service spokesman said, though accepting that the point of arrest “was unacceptable” and would be reviewed by the security agencies.

The man climbed over the White House fence on Friday night and sprinted across the lawn, reaching as far as the front doors, before he was apprehended by the security officials, who had seen him jumping across the fence.

The incident happened soon after Obama, and the First Lady left the White House on chopper for Camp David, where they would spend their weekend.

The incident, prompted a rare partial evacuation of the White House. Reporters and official staff were asked to vacate the premises and the building was locked down for some time.

The man, identified as Omar J Gonzalez, 42, was arrested and later taken to hospital for a medical examination. It was not clear why he had tried to intrude into the White House.

Although, it’s not uncommon for people to hop the White House fence, seldom are they able to make it to the front door.

Only last week, on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks, a man had jumped the fence but was soon apprehended by the Secret Service officials and taken into custody.