Woman in van arrested after striking White House barrier

WASHINGTON - A Tennessee woman driving a white van on Friday intentionally drove into a White House security barrier but did not breach it, and she was immediately apprehended and put under arrest, the U.S. Secret Service said.

No shots were fired and no law enforcement personnel were hurt, the Secret Service said in a statement.

Previous encounters with the 35-year-old woman from La Vergne, Tennessee, near the White House had resulted "in numerous arrests for a variety of criminal violations," it added, without giving her name.

"The female was again charged today with numerous criminal violations and transported to the Metropolitan Police Department," the statement said, adding that normal operations had resumed at the White House complex.

"This minivan came and crashed into the barricade and tried to push through the barricade and his tires were burning rubber and a lot of smoke was coming up," eyewitness Chris Bello, 50, of New York, told reporters near the scene.

"And then about 30 seconds after that the two security guards that were in the booth, you know, ordered him to stop doing what he was doing and he didn't listen," Bello said.

The White House was put on a temporary partial lockdown following the crash, which occurred shortly after a meeting there between President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who was still at the White House.

Trump later tweeted: "Thank you to the great men and women of the United States @SecretService for a job well done!"

Streets surrounding the White House were cordoned off, snarling local traffic.

A reporter for the local Fox channel affiliate tweeted that a witness had reported seeing officers pull a woman out of the vehicle's window at gunpoint. He posted a photograph of what he said was the white Chevrolet minivan that hit the barrier.

Reuters video showed the minivan with an American flag emblem on the back and with both its rear window and a side window smashed. The video showed a law enforcement officer checking the underside of the van with a mirror.

CNN, citing unnamed law enforcement sources, said the action of driving into the barricade was not directed at the president or anyone at the White House and that mental health issues may have been a factor. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Secret Service says no weapon was found in Trump incident

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Secret Service said on Saturday night an incident at a campaign event for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in Reno, Nevada, began when someone shouted "gun" but no weapon was found.

"Immediately in front of the stage, an unidentified individual shouted 'gun.' Secret Service agents and Reno Police Officers immediately apprehended the subject. Upon a thorough search of the subject and the surrounding area, no weapon was found," the Secret Service said in a statement.

"A thorough investigation is ongoing at this time by the U.S. Secret Service and the Reno Police Department," it said.

Trump was rushed off stage by security agents at a rally in Reno, Nevada, on Saturday night after a perceived security threat as he and Democrat Hillary Clinton swept across states that could prove decisive in Tuesday's presidential election.

The threat was unclear. Two security agents seized Trump by the shoulders and hustled him backstage as police officers swarmed over a white male in the front of the crowd and held him face down on the ground while they searched him.

Moments later, the man was escorted by police away with his hands behind his back. Trump, seemingly unruffled, returned to the stage and continued his campaign speech.

"Nobody said it was going to be easy for us," he said. "But we will never be stopped."

The incident began when Trump noticed what he considered a heckler, saying it was someone "from the Hillary Clinton campaign." A few seconds later people near the stage began pointing at someone in the crowd near the front.

Then agents took Trump away. A CNN reporter at the event who spoke to witnesses to the incident said no one saw a weapon.

In a statement, Trump thanked the Secret Service, Reno and Nevada law enforcement for "their fast and professional response."

The incident occurred as Clinton and Trump make their closing arguments to American voters, crisscrossing the United States in hopes of winning over last-minute undecided voters and rallying their bases to turn out enthusiastically on Election Day.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com