Police identified the woman arrested Friday after crashing a minivan into a White House security barrier and wielding a handgun as Jessica R. Ford, who has a history of trying to enter the high-security complex.
The White House was on lockdown for hours after the incident.
The 35-year-old Tennessee women rammed a white Chevy SUV into a security barrier at 17th and E Streets NW. The vehicle was smoking because she continued to hit the accelerator, and officers that converged on the minivan saw that she was holding a handgun, according to a police report.
When she refused to drop the gun, Secret Service agents grabbed her, pulled the firearm from her hand and dragged her out of the passenger side window, according to reports.
She was handcuffed and turned over to D.C. Metropolitan Police.
The commotion took place during a visit by Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull; President Trump and first lady Melania Trump also were at the White House.
“The vehicle did not breach the security barrier of the White House complex. The female was immediately apprehended by Secret Service Uniformed Division Officers,” the Secret Service said in a statement. “No law enforcement personnel were injured during the incident and no shots were fired.”
The Secret Service said the woman had been arrested a number of times for incidents in the vicinity of the White House.
The armed attack Friday appeared to be the most serious incident involving the woman from La Vergne, Tennessee.
In April, a 34-year-old woman named Jessica Rhea Ford from La Vergne, Tenn., was arrested for crawling over a crowd barrier in front of the White House. She was charged with misdemeanor unlawful entry and ordered by a D.C. judge to stay away from the White House, according to the Washington Post.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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