Fence jumper spurs evacuation at White House

WASHINGTON – A man jumped over the fence of the White House on Friday and made it through the front door before officers managed to apprehend him, just minutes after President Barack Obama had departed, the Secret Service said.

The rare breach was likely to renew intense scrutiny of the Secret Service, an agency whose storied history has been marred in recent years by multiple allegations of misconduct by officers.

After scaling the fence on the north side of the White House, the intruder darted toward the presidential residence, ignoring commands from officers to stop, said Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan. The jumper was ultimately apprehended just inside the North Portico doors – the grand, columned entrance that looks out over Pennsylvania Avenue.

The unarmed suspect, identified as Omar J. Gonzalez, 42, of Copperas Cove, Texas, was placed under arrest and transported to a hospital after complaining of chest pain.

Although it’s not uncommon for people to make it over the White House fence, they rarely get very far before being apprehended.