Intruder with backpack arrested on White House grounds
WASHINGTON — A 26-year-old California man who allegedly jumped a perimeter fence at the White House was arrested late Friday after a uniformed Secret Service officer saw him walking across the grounds in a restricted area, according to a police report.
The suspect, identified by Washington, D.C., police as Jonathan Tran, 26, of Milpitas, Calif., was charged with entering or remaining in restricted grounds while using or carrying a dangerous weapon, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Saturday. Tran made his first court appearance Saturday afternoon.
The Associated Press reports authorities found two cans of Mace on Tran, including one inside his jacket pocket, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court. Tran was also carrying a U.S. passport, an Apple laptop computer, a book written by Trump and a letter he had written to the president, the complaint said.
Tran will be held without bond, pending a hearing set for March 13.
President Trump, who was in the residence at the time but was not at risk, told reporters Saturday that the intruder was a "troubled person" and "very sad."
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The president said the Secret Service did a "fantastic job" in nabbing the intruder.
The Secret Service said the incident occurred at about 11:38 p.m. when the man, who was carrying a backpack, scaled an outer perimeter fence by the Treasury Building and East Executive Avenue.
According to the Washington, D.C., police report, a uniformed Secret Service officer was standing at his fixed post on the South grounds of the 18-acre complex when he saw the suspect approaching from the east side in a restricted area.
The report stated that the man began to walk away as the officer walked toward him. When asked if he was holding an authorized pass, the suspect replied: "No, I am a friend of the president. I have an appointment."
Asked how he got there, the suspect, according to the report, told the officer, "I jumped the fence."
The report said security footage showed the suspect jumping the northwest courtyard fence of the Treasury building in a restricted area
The suspect's backpack was screened and "found to be free of any hazardous materials," the Secret Service statement said. The suspect has no criminal history nor any previous history with the U.S. Secret Service, according to a federal law enforcement official.
The South grounds of the White House complex is on the side nearest the Washington Monument and is where Marine One lands and takes off.
In the summer of 2015, sharper spikes were added to the fence surrounding the perimeter to discourage intruders. And last spring, the Secret Service proposed a new design with "intrusion detection technology."
Secret Service Director Joseph Clancy, who was named to the post two years ago to bring stability to an agency that was rocked by a series of security breaches and agent misconduct, retired just last week.
Before his departure, Clancy was lauded for guiding the agency through an unusually demanding period, which included the U.S. visit of Pope Francis and contentious primary and general election campaigns, capped by President Trump's inauguration.
A successor has not yet been named by President Trump.
Other notable incidents:
• On April 1, 2016, an individual who scaled the White House fence after throwing a backpack over it was taken into custody by Secret Service agents.
• On March 7, 2016, Secret Service officers tackled and arrested a man in a hoodie who apparently tried to breach the White House fence.
• On Thanksgiving Day 2015, the Secret Service apprehended a White House fence jumper who said he was trying to deliver a message.
• On Jan. 26, 2015, a government employee told the Secret Service that he lost control of a small drone before it crashed on the grounds of the White House. The perimeter was locked down for a time period as officials examined the drone.
• On Oct. 22, 2014, a man jumped the fence on the north lawn and was quickly taken down by security dogs before being arrested by the Secret Service.
• On May 23, 2014, Secret Service officers arrested a man who had stripped himself of all his clothing outside the White House. He was charged with assault and indecent exposure.
• On Nov. 11, 2011, a man fired a semiautomatic rifle at the White House. He had called President Obama "the anti-Christ." One bullet had struck an upstairs window but was stopped by bulletproof glass, according to the Secret Service. The president wasn't in the White House at the time
• On Sept. 11, 2014, a man wearing a Pikachu hat (from a fictional character in a video game) scaled the fence and entered the North Lawn where he was arrested.
Contributing: Susan Miller in Washington