An alarm went off after a man attempted to climb over the south side fence at the White House.
Alex Thomas Miner, 29, climbed over a barrier at the south side of the White House and dropped a backpack at around 12:45 p.m. He was immediately taken into custody as Secret Service investigated the nature of the contents in the backpack.
The Secret Service also blocked off the Ellipse and E Street, in addition to 17th Street and D Street.
Jim Tripp, a visiting tourist from Seattle who captured the incident on video, told Fox 5 that once Miner grabbed the fence, the alarm went off. Miner then apparently shouted “shoot me” to the Secret Service officers.
Authorities later found that the backpack was harmless. Miner was charged with unlawful entry.
At the time, President Trump was at a signing ceremony in the Oval Office for the Safe Neighbourhoods Grant Program Authorisation Act of 2018.
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