White House Lockdown After Backpack Dropped: Report

WASHINGTON, DC -- The White House was placed on lockdown briefly Wednesday afternoon after someone dropped a backpack and tried to jump a bike rack nearby, according to Secret Service and a report.

Twitter account West Wing Reports, which is run by speaker and author Paul Brandus, tweeted at 2:52 p.m. that the White House had been placed on lockdown and reporters had been ordered into the briefing room. He also said the Secret Service was not commenting on the situation, and the president was returning from Miami at that hour.

Secret Service tweeted that at around 2:45 p.m., someone dropped their backpack and tried to jump a bike rack along the sidewalk on Pennsylvania Avenue. The person was taken into custody by Secret Service, and pedestrian traffic was closed along Pennsylvania Avenue between 15th and 17th streets to include Lafayette Park. However, they made no indication that it was connected to the lockdown.

West Wing Reports sent out a tweet at 3:32 p.m. that appears to connect the Secret Service incident and the lockdown: "Man in Secret Service custody after dropping a backpack and attempting to jump a bike rack that now forms part of the White House's outer security perimeter," he wrote.

Secret Service tweeted at the same time that the backpack was cleared and pedestrian traffic closures would be lifted soon.

White House on lockdown; reporters ordered into briefing room. Secret Service not commentinh yet on situation. President is returning from Miami at this hour
— West Wing Reports (@WestWingReport) June 19, 2019