The Secret Service has arrested a suspect near the White House after crashing a vehicle into an exterior gate of the Presidential House complex.

President Joe Biden was away at the time of the event, and security officials did not specify whether it was a traffic accident or an attack.

PHOTO | COURTESY Driver Arrested After Crashing Into White House Gate

"Shortly before 6:00 pm (2300 GMT), a vehicle collided with an exterior gate on the White House complex. The driver has been taken into custody & we are investigating the cause & manner of the collision," US Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said on X, formerly Twitter.

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Given Guglielmi's warning about "traffic implications" between 15th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, the crash is thought to have happened on the complex's northeast side.

While Washington police later cleared the vehicle, the "driver remains in custody and our investigation continues," Guglielmi added.

PHOTO | COURTESY the crash

In recent years, the White House has experienced several high-profile trespassing cases, prompting officials to install a higher, sturdier metal fence around the famed mansion's perimeter in 2020.

In 2017, a man who jumped the White House fence walked around the grounds for more than 16 minutes before being apprehended – all while President Donald Trump was inside.

A distressed US Army veteran vaulted the White House fence, dashed over the lawn, and entered the house with a knife in his pocket in 2014 while Barack Obama was president.