Uniformed Secret Service officers walk along the lawn on the North side of the White House in Washington on Sept. 20.Susan Walsh/The Associated Press
The U.S. Secret Service is reviewing its procedures after a man jumped the White House fence and entered the building before being apprehended.
The breach forced a partial evacuation of the mansion Friday night just after President Barack Obama and his two daughters had left to spend the weekend at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland.
A man in jeans and a T-shirt jumped the north fence of the White House and ran across the front lawn at 7:20 p.m. Friday, according to Brian Leary, a Secret Service spokesman.
The man, who was unarmed, ignored agents' orders to stop. Agents apprehended him just inside the north portico, the main ceremonial entrance to the White House.
"This incident is currently under investigation and the Secret Service will review the response to ensure proper protocol was followed," Leary said in a written statement.
Leary said he didn't know whether a trespasser had ever before made it inside the White House, which is home to the president and his family.
He identified the jumper as Omar J. Gonzalez, 42, of Copperas Cove, Texas. He was arrested and taken to George Washington University Hospital complaining of chest pains. Gonzalez remained in the hospital as of this morning, Leary said.
Leary wouldn't comment on whether Gonzalez would be charged or what charges might be brought.
Breaches Common
Breaches of the White House fence aren't uncommon. On Sept. 11, the 13th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, agents took a man into custody after he jumped the fence to the north lawn, which is commonly considered the White House front yard. Last month, a toddler squeezed through the fence onto the grass.
In May, a driver trailed a motorcade through a security checkpoint, forcing an hour-long lockdown of the building.
The Secret Service, part of the Department of Homeland Security, has had responsibility for protecting the president since 1894. The agency employs about 7,000 people and has a $1.6 billion budget.
Allegations of misconduct have dogged the agency in recent years. Nine employees were fired or left voluntarily after a 2012 incident between agents and prostitutes in Colombia, where service members were preparing for an Obama trip.