The Secret Service responded to a person who tried to set himself on fire near the White House Friday afternoon.
ALERT: Secret Service personnel are responding to a police/medical incident on Pennsylvania Ave. along the @WhiteHouse North Fence Line.
— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) April 12, 2019
UPDATE: A male subject operating an electronic wheelchair-type scooter lit his outer jacket on fire while sitting along Pennsylvania Ave. outside the North Fence Line. Uniformed Division Officers immediately responded, extinguished the fire and rendered first aid.
— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) April 12, 2019
After putting out the fire, officers carried the man away from the White House into Lafayette Park:
HAPPENING NOW: @SecretService just apprehended man who tried to set himself on fire outside @WhiteHouse agent tells us pic.twitter.com/GvPYEZ8Cnm
— Mark Irons (@MarkIronsMedia) April 12, 2019
Reuters published this photo of the man being treated at the scene:
Secret Service says man lit his outer jacket on fire outside the White House grounds and has been hospitalized with what appear to be non-life threatening injuries https://t.co/SZmGpxOclq pic.twitter.com/BfOsETrq0A
— Reuters (@Reuters) April 12, 2019
Here’s a closeup showing the man’s face. Fortunately, he doesn’t appear to be burned too badly.
USSS officers in could be seen tending to the individual they carried away from the WH and into Lafayette Park. Emergency medical personnel arrived a few moments later. pic.twitter.com/wqzoEWh21G
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) April 12, 2019
The Secret Service says he was transported to a nearby hospital and that his injuries do not appear life-threatening. President Trump was inside the White House at the time and the building was locked down briefly. As for why he did this, NBC 4 in Washington, DC is reporting the man has mental health issues. So it appears this probably wasn’t any type of political protest. I’ll update this story if more information becomes available.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member