Driver Crashes Into White House Gate, Secret Service Says

On Monday evening, a driver crashed into a gate at the White House according to a statement from the Secret Service posted to X. 

“Not long after 6 p.m., a vehicle collided with an exterior gate on the White House complex,” Chief of Communications for the United States Secret Service Anthony Guglielmi posted in a statement on X. “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.”

“The vehicle has been cleared by Washington DC Police Department and traffic closures will be lifted,” Guglielmi later posted in an update. “Driver remains in custody and our investigation continues. Special thanks to @DCPoliceDept @dcfireems for your unwavering support and partnership.”

President Joe Biden was not at the White House when the collision occurred. He is currently traveling from South Carolina to Texas to pay respects to late Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson.

This is not the first instance of a vehicle crashing into the White House during the Biden administration. In May, a U-Haul crashed into the White House gates, hitting the security barriers in Lafayette Square.

After hitting the gates, the driver, 19-year-old Sai Varshith Kandula of Missouri, allegedly made threatening remarks about Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, according to the United States Park Police (USPP).

Kandula was later arrested and hit with multiple charges, including assault with a dangerous weapon, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, destruction of federal property and trespassing, USPP said. The vehicle was reportedly investigated and no incendiary devices or explosives were found. However, what appeared to be a Nazi flag was inside the truck, court documents said, according to CBS News.

More recently, In December, while Biden was leaving his campaign headquarters in Delaware in December, a car apparently smashed into a parked SUV that was part of the president’s motorcade. 

The president was walking toward the motorcade at the time of the crash and was then rushed into a vehicle by Secret Service agents. Biden was unharmed. The driver, James Cooper, 46, was taken into custody and charged with a DUI.

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