Which politician would you logically expect to be the most secure individual on the planet?
Many of us would quickly answer President Barack Obama.
Following a bizarre incident where an individual somehow got too close for comfort, some tough questions must now be asked.
According to reports Obama and his daughters left the White House in a helicopter bound for Camp David. Minutes later, a man scaled the White House fence and ran across the lawn.
The unarmed individual made it through the North Portico Doors of the White House before he was apprehended.
The man was soon identified as Omar Gonzalez of Copperas Cove, Texas.
JUST IN: Video shows man breaching security perimeter, running to White House: http://t.co/hzsvB5Lpys pic.twitter.com/3KFEv0wP99
— Micah Grimes (@MicahGrimes) September 20, 2014
The 42-year-old man was captured and then promptly taken to George Washington Medical Center for a medical evaluation.
No one was harmed during the alarming event, however the White House was partially evacuated in the aftermath of Gonzalez’s actions.
It was later revealed that the man was previously known to the Secret Service. Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary shared this information with CNN, however he would not clarify the exact nature of their existing familiarity with Gonzalez.
'Armed Secret Service officers' order journalists out of White House after intruder is spotted http://t.co/7ebaNmKh2b pic.twitter.com/4y0FnbuvPy
— ITV News (@itvnews) September 19, 2014
The rare call for an evacuation was troubling to bystanders. CNN producer Becky Brittain shared that in her nine years of reporting at the White House, she’d never once been evacuated.
The entire situation raises some startling questions. For starters, how a man like Gonzalez was able to get as close to the President as he did. That was one heck of a SPECIFIC window of time for this man to make his move.
White House briefly evacuated http://t.co/7ACX8xhX0G pic.twitter.com/5ukkoIV2RS
— FRANCE 24 (@FRANCE24) September 20, 2014
Also baffling was how this individual, known to the President’s security, was able to get as far as he did.
Unarmed or not.
Hopefully this incident will allow for a more careful evaluation of White House security standards in the immediate future.
Fence jumper at White House sparks evacuation: http://t.co/FjvBmLmRSE | AP Photo pic.twitter.com/TWtNNTRyYh
— POLITICO (@politico) September 20, 2014
Gonzalez was arrested and charged with unlawful entry into the White House complex.