Maryland Man Charged after Jumping White House Fence, Dogs Cleared for Duty
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A man arrested after jumping the White House fence on Wednesday night has been charged with three felony counts and four misdemeanors, the US Secret Service said on Thursday.
Dominic Adesanya of Bel Air, Maryland, was unarmed when he was arrested on the White House grounds and facing Secret Service dogs that stopped and attacked him, the Secret Service was quoted by Reuters as saying.
The incident came about one month after an intruder armed with a knife scaled the White House fence and entered the executive mansion, raising questions about security at the heavily guarded complex and spurring the resignation of Julia Pierson as Secret Service director.
Officials charged Adesanya, 23, with two felony counts of assault on a K-9 police officer, one felony count of making threats and four misdemeanor counts of resisting and unlawful entry, Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary said. K-9 refers to the team using specially trained dogs.
The Washington Post said Adesanya was bitten by a dog. He was taken to a hospital for evaluation and then turned over to the US Marshals Service because of outstanding warrants, Leary said. His court date has not yet been set.
The two dogs that stopped the intruder have been cleared to return to duty after being taken for treatment for minor bruising, Leary said.
Video showed the man punching one of the dogs that attacked him and Secret Service agents surrounding him on the north lawn of the White House.
The White House was locked down after the intruder climbed the fence about 7:15 p.m. (2315 GMT) on Wednesday, the same day a gunman attacked Canada's parliament in Ottawa. The lockdown was lifted shortly before 9 p.m. (0100 GMT Thursday).
