The White House was briefly placed on lockdown Monday morning after a driver crashed a car near Lafayette Square and then fought with Secret Service officers and National Guard troops.
The vehicle slammed into a sign at the north end of Lafayette Square, which sits directly across from the White House.
Video posted to X by Martin Austermuhle of The Washington Sun showed smoke pouring from under the hood of a silver sedan as officers and soldiers surrounded it. The driver struggled with security personnel as they pulled him from the car and worked to subdue him.
Austermuhle later reported that the Secret Service had the man in custody and that he was yelling “Oh my God” as he was led away from the park.
“The driver was combative with law enforcement, but was quickly placed under arrest,” a Secret Service spokesperson said.
The Secret Service also detained a second person who appeared to have entered the Lafayette Park perimeter after the crash. That individual, who reportedly jumped a barricade, was also quickly taken into custody.
A Fox producer at the scene was told by witnesses that one man stayed in the car while another jumped out.
The Secret Service began clearing reporters off the North Lawn shortly after 10:02 a.m., according to a White House press pool report. Members of the media were ordered indoors and roads around the park were closed.
CBS News correspondent Jennifer Jacobs posted on X that the White House was in security lockdown while authorities responded to the incident.
Authorities have not released the identity of either individual, and the circumstances surrounding the crash and the driver’s motive remain unclear. The White House had not commented on the incident.
The National Park Service has said portions of President’s Park and surrounding areas are under temporary closures throughout November at the request of the Secret Service.
Monday’s incident is the latest in a string of security scares involving vehicles near the White House.
In October 2025, a man drove his car into a security gate on the southwest side of the White House complex late at night and was arrested by officers from the Secret Service’s Uniformed Division. A bomb-detection robot was brought in to inspect the vehicle, which was later deemed safe.
In January 2024, a driver crashed into an exterior White House gate near 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. Law enforcement officers said at the time the man was believed to have mental health challenges.
And in May 2023, a 19-year-old driver crashed a U-Haul truck into security barriers around Lafayette Square. According to court documents, he had a Nazi flag with him when he was arrested.
The Secret Service significantly upgraded White House security after several high-profile intrusions, beginning construction in 2019 on a fence more than 13 feet tall, more than double the height of the previous barrier.
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