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In a tragic incident on Saturday night, a driver lost his life after crashing a vehicle into an outer perimeter gate of the White House. Authorities are treating the collision as a traffic accident, and there's no sign of any threat to the president's residence. President Joe Biden was away in Delaware at the time, and the Secret Service confirmed that the White House was not at risk.
The male driver, whose identity remains undisclosed, was found deceased inside the vehicle following the crash. The Metropolitan Police Department reported that the vehicle collided with a security barrier at the intersection of 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. “Shortly before 10:30 pm a vehicle traveling at a high speed collided with an outer perimeter gate on the White House complex,” the service said in a statement on X.
Emergency services arrived quickly, but sadly, the driver couldn't be rescued. "Security protocols were implemented as officers cleared the vehicle and attempted to render aid to the driver who was discovered deceased," the statement said.
The Secret Service swiftly implemented security protocols, ensuring the safety of the White House. Authorities continue to investigate the incident, seeking to understand the circumstances that led to this fatal crash. Although the driver's intentions are unclear, the emphasis remains on analyzing the technical aspects of the collision and ensuring the effectiveness of security measures.
"At this time, the incident is being investigated only as a traffic crash by MPD's Major Crash Investigations Unit," officials said in a statement.
This incident echoes a similar event in late May 2023 when a man driving a U-Haul truck crashed into security barriers around Lafayette Square, across the street from the White House. The driver was identified as Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, from Chesterfield, Missouri and a Nazi Flag was found in the car.
