By India Today News Desk: A truck crashed into the security barriers on Lafayette Square in Washington DC adjacent to the White House grounds on Monday night (local time). The driver of the truck was detained, according to a US Secret Service spokesperson.
“There were no injuries to any Secret Service or White House personnel and the cause and manner of the crash remain under investigation,” Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the US Secret Service, said on Twitter.
Some roads and pedestrian walkways were closed, the Secret Service said, news agency Reuters reported.
According to Fox 5 television news, people were evacuated from the nearby Hay Adams hotel.
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In a live broadcast by WUSA television, a box-type, U-Haul truck was seen stopping alongside a row of steel bollards and police officers approached the vehicle.
A remote-controlled robot forced open the door, revealing a dolly, but no other cargo was found.
An eyewitness told WUSA television that following the crash, the truck driver hit the barriers near the White House grounds for the second time.