Man taken into custody near the White House after dropping backpack, Secret Service says
The Secret Service detained a man near the White House on Wednesday after he dropped a backpack and tried to jump a bike rack that forms part of the residence's defense perimeter.
The agency wrote in a tweet that the person dropped the bag at 2:45 p.m. EDT and was then taken into custody by officers. The White House was placed on a brief lockdown.
The Secret Service did not release the name of the suspect.
"Secret Service and Metropolitan Police Department cleared the backpack and the individual was placed under arrest, and charged with unlawful entry," the service said in a written statement.
The agency closed Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House, as well as adjacent Lafayette Park, as it examined the contents of the backpack. The backpack was eventually "cleared," the Secret Service said.
The incident took place some 90 minutes before President Donald Trump was scheduled to return to the White House after a two-day trip to Florida.
Bike racks are placed about 10 to 15 feet from the White House, forming an outer perimeter to dissuade potential fence jumpers.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Man taken into custody near the White House after dropping backpack, Secret Service says
