WASHINGTON — The White House was briefly locked down Tuesday as police took an injured man into custody near the presidential complex.
It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the situation, but the security response was consistent with previous incidents in which people have tried to hop the White House fence or otherwise breach the compound.
Secret Service stepped up security around 4 p.m., with canine teams and other agents seen gathering on the North Lawn. Reporters working inside the White House were kept inside by automatically locking doors.
Doug Buchanan, a spokesman for the fire department in Washington, said the department was called in to help with a rescue at an intersection alongside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is part of the White House complex. Buchanan said emergency workers responded to assist a man complaining of a cut on his finger.
The man was taken into custody and was transported under police supervision to a hospital to treat injuries to his hand, Buchanan said.
The lockdown was lifted after a brief period, and visitors and staffers could be seen walking about the complex.
The Secret Service didn’t immediately respond to inquiries about the situation. President Barack Obama is at the White House after returning late Monday from an international trip.