White House security scare: Trump hustled from conference, White House in lockdown after shots fired outside
US president Donald Trump was abruptly escorted from a White House press conference after a shooting outside | WATCH
US Secret Service agents shot and wounded a man who was apparently armed outside the White House on Monday (Tuesday AEST), President Donald Trump said, after being briefly whisked away in the middle of a press conference.
A 51-year-old male approached a Secret Service officer standing at the corner of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, a block from the White House, according to Tom Sullivan, the chief of the Secret Service Uniformed Division.
The suspect told the officer he had a weapon and ran “aggressively” towards him, drawing an object out of his clothes, Mr Sullivan said.
He then assumed a “shooter’s stance” as if he intended to fire, whereupon the Secret Service officer shot him in the torso.
Officers on the scene administered first aid, and emergency medical services were called. Both the suspect and the officer were taken to hospital.
“The Secret Service Office of Professional Responsibility will be conducting an internal review of the officer’s actions,” Mr Sullivan said, adding the Washington DC Metropolitan Police Department had been contacted.
Mr Trump had been forced to cut short his daily coronavirus briefing as Secret Service agents whisked him off stage. As the President was speaking to reporters in the White House’s briefing room, a Secret Service bodyguard abruptly interrupted, saying in a quiet voice: “Sir, could you please come with me?”
As the President was leaving he asked the Secret Service agent: “What’s happening?”
Mr Trump and staff members left. Doors to the briefing room, still filled with journalists, were locked.
Outside, black-clad Secret Service agents with automatic rifles could be seen rushing across the lawn and taking up positions behind trees. Minutes after, the President resumed his press conference, telling reporters that a person had been shot by Secret Service agents outside the White House grounds, and the situation was “under control”.
“They just wanted to step aside for a moment to make sure everything was clear,’’ Mr Trump said.
He said he knew nothing about the identity of the person shot, but when asked if the person had been armed, he answered: “From what I understand, the answer is yes”. As for the person’s motives, the President said: “It might not have had anything to do with me.”
The White House perimeter is being reinforced by a new iron fence twice the height of the previous version.
“I don’t believe anything was breached. They were relatively far away,” Mr Trump said.
Questioned whether the security incident had rattled him, Mr Trump answered: “I don’t know, do I seem rattled? … It’s unfortunate that this is the world, but the world’s always been a dangerous place”.
He went on to praise the US Secret Service as “fantastic people, the best of the best”.
“I feel very safe with Secret Service,” he said. “A lot of terrific looking people ready to go if something was necessary.”
Additional reporting AFP
Cameron Stewart is also US Contributor for Sky News Australia
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