Man With Backpack Hops Over White House Fence

WASHINGTON – A man climbed over the White House fence near its western entrance gate and ran toward the presidential residence Tuesday evening before he was apprehended by uniformed Secret Service officers, authorities said.

No one was injured, said Max Milien, a spokesman for the Secret Service. The man's name was not released.

The man carried a backpack as he clambered over the fence, then ran with his arms outstretched directly toward officers who ordered him to the ground with their weapons drawn. The backpack was later deemed to be safe, Milien said.

The episode occurred around 6:35 p.m. EDT as tourists and passers-by walked on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House. Officers immediately evacuated the avenue and Lafayette Square across from the White House.