The driver of a rented box truck was held by the U.S. Secret Service after he or she slammed into security barriers near the White House on Monday night, possibly on purpose. A truck smashed into barriers in Lafayette Square, close to the White House grounds, and according to a Reuters witness, authorities uncovered a Nazi swastika flag inside the truck.
A Reuters photographer saw police officers loading the U-Haul with the flag and plastic evidence bags that had been spread out on the pavement after the collision. “Preliminary investigation reveals the driver may have intentionally struck the security barriers at Lafayette Square,” Secret Service chief of communications Anthony Guglielmi said on Twitter.
He also said that the Secret Service would assist the U.S. Park Police with their investigation. WUSA aired a video of a U-Haul-like box truck parked next to a barrier of steel bollards, with a police dog and uniformed cops walking up to the truck. The back door of the vehicle was wrenched open by a robot operated from afar, displaying a dolly but no other discernible goods.
Chris Zaboji, a bystander to the collision, recorded the vehicle crashing through the barriers and uploaded the clip on social media. According to Reuters, the footage is legit. According to him, the vehicle initially cr@shed into the barriers, but then cr@shed into them again.
Airline pilot Zaboji, 25, of Washington, DC, reported hearing a loud collision as he was walking home after finishing a workout on the National Mall.
“I looked back and saw that the U-Haul van had rammed into the barricade. I backed away behind a guy on a golf cart and took the video on my phone. After I saw it rammed again I didn’t want to be anywhere near the truck and left,” Zaboji said.
Guglielmi, of the Secret Service, tweeted earlier that no one in the White House or the Secret Service had been hurt. Vice President Joe Biden’s whereabouts at the time were unknown. On Monday evening, he visited the White House to talk with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
If you are interested in learning more about this subject, you may find the links that are provided below to be helpful:
- One of Two M!ssing Boys From Harlem Whose Body Was Found in the Bronx Was Laid to Rest
- A Truck Cr@shed Into the Square Outside the White House, and the Driver Was Detained
The Washington Post, citing a hotel official, stated that the nearby Hay Adams hotel was evacuated at the request of the Secret Service, and the Secret Service confirmed that some roadways and pedestrian walkways around the park were closed.
The story of truck wrecks close to the White House has been confirmed by the tweet below:
A suspicious package investigation was reported to the Washington Fire Department at 9:40 p.m. (0140 GMT), according to a department representative. Law police and public safety personnel responded quickly, however after investigating it was determined that the vehicle was mostly empty and the contents posed little threat.
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