Breaking: New White House fence-jumper taken down by K9s, apprehended

Another person jumped the fence at the White House tonight, but didn’t make it far across the lawn before being surrounded by Secret Service dogs and officers.

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Secret Service officials apprehended a person who jumped the White House fence late Wednesday. The intruder was captured well before reaching the residence.

Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan said, “An individual jumped the north fence of the White House. He was immediately taken into custody by canine units and Uniformed Division officers.” No shots were fired, Donovan said.

The man was transported to a hospital for treatment for dog bites, a law enforcement source said.

Authorities shut down Lafayette Park after the incident, moving dozens of tourists to H Street. Reports said the White House was under lockdown.

Fox News has video of the suspect, who appears to be dressed in run-of-the-mill basketball shorts, kicking and punching one of the dogs before he went down:

Press and employees were locked inside the White House after the incident, which one can only imagine raised heightened concerns on the same day as shootings at parliament in Ottawa.

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According to a federal official, the fence jumper got 20 to 25 yards from the fence on the inside of the North Lawn before he was tackled by officers with police dogs at about 7:30 p.m. He is being treated for his injuries.

The White House press corps and photographers were locked inside the White House while the Secret Service investigated.

A former White House employee has an idea:

This incident comes just about a month after 42-year-old veteran Omar Gonzalez scaled the fence with a knife and made it well into the White House before being stopped by agents. Gonzalez has pleaded not guilty and a judge has ordered a psych evaluation on him.

Update: Breaking around the same time as this story, Canadian PM Stephen Harper determines today’s shooting is not “workplace violence.”

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Cpl. Nathan Cirillo was “murdered in cold blood,” Harper said, expressing condolences to the slain Canadian soldier’s family.

The soldier appeared to have been shot in the back, said Peter Henderson, a journalist who was at the memorial at the time of the shooting. Other soldiers who were nearby doing drills at the time ran to help, he said.

Investigators haven’t provided any possible motives for the shooting.

“In the days to come, we will learn more about the terrorist and any accomplices he may have had, but this week’s events are a grim reminder that Canada is not immune to the types of terrorist attacks we have seen elsewhere in the world,” Harper said. “Let there be no misunderstanding: We will not be intimidated. Canada will never be intimidated.”

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