Man arrested after jumping White House fence
WASHINGTON -- The Secret Service has arrested a person for attempting to scale the White House fence.
The agency says the incident happened at 10:25 p.m. Sunday.
Its statement says "this individual was immediately arrested by USSS Uniformed Division Officers," and says the person was taken into custody and charges are pending.
The Secret Service did not identify the person arrested or divulge other details.
The agency has been beset by a series of security lapses, including an incident last Sept. 19 in which authorities said a man with a knife jumped a fence and ran inside the executive mansion, looking for the president.
It was the 16th time someone had jumped the fence in the past five years, according to the Secret Service.
Just last week the National Park Service and Secret Service announced plans to install temporary half-inch steel spikes atop the White House fence in an effort to reduce breaches of the White House security perimeter.
National Park Service documents describe the spikes as "pencil points" which will attach to the existing fence and serve as a "removable anti-climb" mechanism.
In a statement, the National Parks Service said, "The interim solution enhances security without affecting the visitor's experience. A timeline for installation is not yet available, but we are working expeditiously on this improvement."