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A car crashed into the security gate that surrounds the White House on Saturday night, killing the driver, officials said
The incident was only under investigation as a traffic collision, according to the D.C. Police Department. The man was identified Monday afternoon as 57-year-old James Chester Lewis of Matthews, North Carolina.
Anthony Gugliemi, spokesperson for the Secret Service said there were no threats or public safety concerns in the aftermath. The Secret Service released a preliminary statement with some basic details about the crash, which the agency is also investigating.
The vehicle was speeding on Saturday night when it collided with a gate lining the outer perimeter of the White House complex just before 10:30 p.m. ET, the Secret Service said in that statement. Officers responded to the crash and tried to give aid to the male driver discovered inside the car when they arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. No other injuries were reported.
“There was no threat to the White House,” the Secret Service’s statement read. “The fatal crash portion of this will be turned over to the Washington Metropolitan Police Department Crash Investigation Unit and the Secret Service investigation continues.”
President Biden visited Delaware this weekend and was not in Washington, D.C. when the crash happened, the Associated Press reported.
