Two security breaches near White House prompt brief lockdown

Two people have been detained near the White House following a pair of security breaches, according to the United States Secret Service agency (USSS).

One of the incidents, which occurred Monday morning, involved a suspect who drove a vehicle onto the pavement at Lafayette Park, which sits directly in front of the White House.

Secret Service Police and National Guard units responded to reports of the vehicle crash at about 10am local time (15:00 GMT), according to a spokesperson for the federal law enforcement agency.

They converged on the northern edge of Lafayette Park near 16th and H Streets Northwest.

Around the same time, another suspect jumped a security barrier in the northwest corner of Lafayette Park. It is not clear if the two events were related.

President Donald Trump was inside the executive residence when the incidents occurred, prompting a brief White House lockdown and the closure of the surrounding roads.

The lockdown was lifted an hour later, according to the White House press pool.

Video footage of the incident captured a silver sedan emitting blankets of smoke as law enforcement officers surrounded it. It shows the driver exiting the vehicle and swinging at the gathered officers.

“The driver was combative with law enforcement, but was quickly placed under arrest,” the Secret Service statement read.

The Metropolitan Police Department’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit was called in to conduct a vehicle sweep after the driver was taken into custody.

Around the same time as police were dealing with the combative driver, “a second individual jumped a barricade near the northwest corner of Lafayette Park”, according to USSS.

Authorities have not stated what charges the two people arrested may be facing. Both incidents remain under investigation.