A little trespasser forced his way past the White House fence and onto the lawn, prompting Secret Service personnel to retaliate.
According to reports, the toddler crawled onto the White House’s North Lawn on Tuesday morning. Secret Service Uniformed Division officers, who are in charge of security at the White House, walked across the lawn and rescued the infant intruder before returning him to his parents securely. During the brief intrusion, access to the compound was briefly obstructed.
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“The Secret Service Uniformed Division today encountered a curious young visitor along the White House north fence line who briefly entered White House ground,” Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the Secret Service, said in a statement Tuesday, via CNN. “The White House security systems instantly triggered Secret Service officers and the toddler and parents were quickly reunited.”
The event happened around 11 a.m. Tuesday, according to The Washington Post. Officers arrived on the scene soon. According to Guglielmi, officers took care not to respond too harshly, which could startle the child.
The authorities then questioned the toddler’s parents, who were visiting from Canada, before releasing them. The Associated Press reported that access to the White House compound was temporarily restricted while the family was reunited.
“This might be a story around the Thanksgiving dinner table for sure,” Guglielmi joked to the Post.
The incident is the first of its kind since the White House barrier was repaired in 2019. The project virtually quadrupled the existing fence’s height from around 6 1/2 feet to 13 feet tall, as well as making the pickets broader and tougher. The project was a collaboration between the Secret Service and the National Park Service.
However, the new fence contained an extra inch of space between pickets, totaling 5 1/2 inches, allowing the toddler to pass through.
Prior to the repairs, another youngster slipped over the barrier in 2014, briefly shutting down the White House just as former President Barack Obama was ready to deliver an address on the Iraq war.
“We were going to wait until he learned to talk to question him, but in lieu of that he got a timeout and was sent on way with parents,” a Secret Service spokesperson said at the time.
Secret Service personnel was obliged to respond to a considerably more serious situation on Monday.
According to the Secret Service, officers responded to reports of a single gunshot at 34th and Massachusetts Avenue NW, near the US Naval Observatory, at 1:30 a.m. on Monday.
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Guglielmi stated that crime scene investigators were looking into a firearm discharge.
“No one was reported to be injured and there is currently no indication that this incident was directed towards any protectees or the Naval Observatory,” added Lt. Paul Mayhair, another Secret Service spokesman.
The incident occurred as the nation’s capital has struggled with a rise in crime in recent years, including an increase in gun violence. According to Axios, there was a 40% increase in reported violent crimes with a gun between 2017, when there were 1,573, and 2018 when there were 2,203.
