An active investigation is underway after a vehicle crash in Lafayette Park caused a second person to jump over a fence.
Published November 9, 2026
Two people were arrested near the White House following two security breaches, the US Secret Service (USSS) said.
One of the incidents Monday morning involved a suspect driving a vehicle onto the sidewalk in Lafayette Park, directly in front of the White House.
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Secret Service police and National Guard troops responded to reports of a vehicle crash around 10 a.m. local time (3 p.m. Japan time), a federal law enforcement agency spokesperson said.
They met at the north end of Lafayette Park near 16th Avenue NW and H Street.
Around the same time, another suspect jumped a security fence at the northwest corner of Lafayette Park. It is not clear whether the two events are related.
President Donald Trump was inside the presidential palace at the time of the incident, which led to a brief lockdown of the White House and the closure of surrounding roads.
The lockdown was lifted an hour later, according to White House reporters.
Video footage of the incident showed law enforcement officers surrounding a silver sedan spewing smoke. The driver can be seen getting out of his car and waving it at the assembled police.
“The driver became combative with law enforcement and was quickly apprehended,” a Secret Service statement said.
After the driver was taken into custody, the Metropolitan Police Department’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Division was called in to search the vehicle.
Around the same time that police were arresting the combative driver, “a second person jumped a barricade near the northwest corner of Lafayette Park,” USSS said.
Authorities have not disclosed what crimes the two arrested people are facing. Both incidents are still under investigation.
