White House on Lockdown After Package Thrown Over Fence (UPDATED)

Sam ReismanMay 30th, 2016, 1:48 pm

The White House is on lockdown Memorial Day afternoon after a package was thrown over the fence on the property’s north side.

White House faces Memorial Day incident, possible lockdownhttps://t.co/IBXXataZVv

— WEWS NewsChannel 5 (@WEWS) May 30, 2016

A female suspect has reportedly been detained.

Update – AP: A woman has been detained after throwing something over the north fence of the White House campus along Pennsylvania Avenue

— Sky News Newsdesk (@SkyNewsBreak) May 30, 2016

DC Hazmat squad member gearing up to examine container thrown over WH fence onto the North Lawn. Suspect detained. pic.twitter.com/JwFG8qbAKK

— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) May 30, 2016

Reuters’ Jeff Mason reported that the northwest gate had been closed.

Reporters who need to leave White House are being escorted out a different gate. Northwest hate could be closed for a couple hours.

— Jeff Mason (@jeffmason1) May 30, 2016

Firefighters in hazmat gear arrived on the scene to conduct an apparent decontamination procedure on the suspicious package. NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski reported a cautious and calm scene on the White House lawn as officials approached the package.

After attending a Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery earlier in the day, the president was reported to be at the White House during the lockdown.

UPDATE: 3:30 P.M. EST: CBS’ Mark Knoller reported on Twitter that emergency services have left the White House and normal operations have resumed for the area. Knoll reported that the package was a metallic object of some kind, but that chemical tests on the area came back “negative.”

Suspicious material removed from WH lawn bagged and being carried away. pic.twitter.com/tf2wFKyBAU

— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) May 30, 2016

Last of Hazmat trucks pulls away from WH, and Secret Service allow pedestrians back onto Pennsylvania Avenue. pic.twitter.com/qzIObRWHF9

— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) May 30, 2016

.@SecretService says metal object thrown onto WH grounds was swept and produced "negative results." WH back to "normal operations."

— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) May 30, 2016

Further, @SecretService says person who threw metal object over the north fence of the WH was "immediately apprehended without incident."

— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) May 30, 2016

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