Secret Service Stops Vehicle Trying to Enter White House Complex

Secret Service Stop Car Attempting To Enter White House Secure Area

A driver of a vehicle who attempted to illegally gain access to the White House complex was stopped by U.S. Secret Service agents Thursday morning, has been detained, officials said in a statement about the incident.

Police and agents with the Secret Service were dispatched just after 6 a.m. Thursday morning after reports of a suspicious vehicle trying to follow an authorized vehicle into the White House complex. A security alert issued by the Secret Service closed several roads in the area, including Pennsylvania Ave and pedestrian traffic from 15th to 17th street, (which includes Lafayette Park).

Officers with the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, as well as a bomb disposal team responded to the incident.

"An unauthorized vehicle attempted to gain entry to the White House complex by following another vehicle that was lawfully entering at an external complex checkpoint," the Secret Service said in a statement. "The vehicle was stopped and the individual was immediately taken into custody by Secret Service U.D. Officers."

Photos from the scene showed investigators searching the black Mercedes-Benz SUV that featured a Texas license plate. Large amounts of luggage and clothing were scattered in piles on the ground across the scene.

It's unclear whether anything suspicious was found inside the SUV.

ABC News reporter Sam Sweeny tweeted that the SUV has racked up a considerable amount of parking violations in the past, with more than $1,350 in fines from citations from streets around the White House since Oct. 10.

Several of the 17 tickets included several illegal parking citations.

The security alert necessitated the closure of surrounding roads to vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

No other details were immediately available.

Photo: Getty Images


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