A man who jumped over the White House fence Tuesday evening got closer to the president's residence than such intruders usually do, Secret Service officials said.
The man, whose identity was not released, jumped the fence about 6:30 p.m. ET and ran with his arms outstretched directly toward officers. He was taken for processing to a Washington police station and will be charged with unlawfully entering the grounds.
A Secret Service spokesman said all the circumstances, including how close the man was able to get, are under investigation.
Secret Service officials said their officers were aware of him the entire time. As soon as he started climbing the fence, a radio call went out, they said.
"He did get farther than most jumpers get. But that's because he hit the ground running. He didn't fall, as most of them do," one official said.
A uniformed officer with a dog on a leash approached him and ordered him to drop to the ground, which the man did, the official said.
He was carrying a backpack when he walked up to the fence, but he took it off before he started climbing. Nothing hazardous was found in it, they say.
The episode occurred as tourists and passers-by walked on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House. Officers immediately evacuated the avenue and Lafayette Square across from the White House.
