The White House went into a security lockdown Monday morning after a car jumped a curb and hit a sign near Lafayette Park, leading to a scuffle with Secret Service agents. The incident unfolded shortly after 10 a.m., according to WCIV-TV, and the driver was arrested.
What sparked the lockdown
The U.S. Secret Service said the “driver was combative with law enforcement” before being taken into custody. Reporter Martin Austermuhle posted on X that a person “drove into a sign on the north end of Lafayette Square Park and then fought with Secret Service and National Guard when they got out of their car.”
Bloomberg’s Jennifer Jacobs posted that those inside the White House were told to stay in place: “We’re in security lockdown at White House, apparently while there’s an incident at Lafayette Square Park. USSS officer asked us to stay inside the building.”
A second arrest and a bomb sweep
As responders handled the vehicle incident, a second individual jumped a barricade near the park and was also arrested, the Secret Service said. The Metropolitan Police Department’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal team was called to sweep the car. Roads around Lafayette Park were closed during the response.
The New York Post reported that as the driver was led away, the person shouted, “Oh my God.”
Lockdown lifted around 11 a.m.
The lockdown was lifted at about 11 a.m., according to the source material. Western Journal reported that President Donald Trump was at the White House during the incident.
Recent D.C. arrest noted by DHS via Fox News
Days earlier, a Venezuelan national was arrested in Washington, D.C., after allegedly threatening to kill Trump. The Department of Homeland Security said, per Fox News, that the suspect, identified as Ronny Yordrix Guanipa Chrinos, had entered the U.S. illegally in March 2024 and later told authorities he heard voices instructing him to go to Washington to kill the president. DHS said he was found in a reported stolen vehicle with three firearms — including an AR-15-style rifle and two handguns — and ammunition.
