Vehicle strikes barrier near White House, driver apprehended

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A passenger vehicle struck a security barrier near the White House on Friday, but did not breach the White House complex, the U.S. Secret Service said in a series of tweets.

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The female driver of the vehicle was immediately apprehended by the Secret Service, it said, adding that no shots were fired and no law enforcement personnel were hurt.

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

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 according to the witness.

Live 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.

(Reporting by Eric Beech; Writing by Eric Walsh; Editing by David Alexander and Sandra Maler)