Secret Service arrests 2 in White House security incidents

WASHINGTON — Uniformed Secret Service police have arrested two people who breached security at the White House and triggered brief lockdowns at the presidential residence, the Secret Service said on Monday.

One person was arrested about 11:30 p.m. EST on Sunday after climbing over a bicycle rack set up outside the White House’s main fence and charged with unlawful entry, Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary said.

At about 6:45 a.m. EST on Monday another person was stopped after trying to enter through a White House gate as a construction worker was going out. The man became combative and was arrested, Leary said.

The White House was briefly locked down after both incidents as part of Secret Service protocol.

The protection agency has been troubled by fence-jumpers — including one who ran into the White House in September — and other security breaches in recent years. The incidents played a role in the resignation of director Julia Pierson, who Obama has chosen to replace with Joseph Clancy, a 27-year veteran of the Secret Service.