White House Bomb Alert as Homeless Man Jumps Over Security Fence With Backpack
A homeless man has sparked a security alert in Washington DC after jumping the White House fence, but was immediately apprehended by gun-toting Secret Service agents.
James Dirk Crudup, 41, climbed over the security fencing at the White House carrying a backpack; immediately sparking bomb-fears. However, upon being apprehended Secret Service sniffer dogs were used to check the contents, and no weapons or immediate dangers were discovered.
The incident was caught on film by CNN camera crews who were reporting from in front of the White House on a separate news issue.
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Crudup has been charged with unlawful entry and contempt of court for violating a stay away order from the White House, according to local news radio station, WTOP. The Secret Service has reported that he had been legally warned to stay away from the White House once before.
It is unclear when the previous incident occurred.
The president was believed to be in the White House at the time of the trespassing.
The area directly in front of the White House was closed for about 90 minutes. As authorities investigated, the White House was put on lockdown with no one allowed to leave the premises.
White House fence-jumping is not uncommon. Most recently, in 2009, Pamela Morgan jumped the White House fence with a backpack. No explosives were found.
And in 2007, Catalino Lucas Diaz jumped the fence and claimed to have a bomb. He hurled a black cylinder onto the northeast lawn of the White House. The cylinder turned out to not be a bomb.
One of the most notable White House fence cases happened in 1994. Francisco Martin Duran didn’t jump the fence, but walked right up to it and fired at least 29 rounds at the White House, hitting the building many times, according to the Washington Post.
He was convicted of attempting to assassinate President Clinton and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
