Man arrested after crashing car into park across from White House

A vehicle that drove into the north-facing pillars near Lafayette Square stands with a trunk open outside the White House, in Washington, DC, US, November 9, 2026. | Photo Credit: Reuters The White House was briefly placed on lockdown on Monday (November 9, 2026) after a man crashed his car into the sidewalk of a park across from the presidential mansion.

The driver of the vehicle was "quickly placed under arrest" after he "became combative with law enforcement," a U.S. Secret Service spokesperson said. Video taken by witnesses showed the man struggling with police after being pulled from his car, which crashed into a sign on the sidewalk of Lafayette Park across from the White House.

An explosive ordnance disposal team was called in to "sweep the vehicle as a precaution," the Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement. Around the same time as the vehicle incident, "a second individual jumped a barricade near the northwest corner of Lafayette Park," the spokesperson said.

"That individual was also quickly placed under arrest," the spokesperson said. "Both incidents are under investigation." The White House was locked down for around half an hour during the incidents, correspondents said. Published - November 09, 2026 10:58 pm IST