CNN
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A man crashed a U-Haul truck into a security barrier near the White House on Monday night in what authorities are investigating as a potentially intentional incident.
Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, of Chesterfield, Missouri, is in custody and facing multiple charges including threatening to kill or harm a president, vice president or family member, US Park Police said. The Secret Service said there were no injuries to any agency or White House personnel.
The truck, which carried a Nazi flag among other items, crashed into security barriers on the north side of Lafayette Square at 16th Street just before 10 p.m. ET, the US Secret Service said. A preliminary investigation revealed the driver may have intentionally struck the barrier, the agency later said.
Video taken by a witness showed the 26-foot moving truck stopped on the sidewalk near Lafayette Square before the driver accelerates and crashes into a set of security bollards that ring the White House complex to prevent unauthorized vehicular traffic.
After the crash, the truck was searched by bomb technicians and no explosives or incendiary devices were found, a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation told CNN.
Video from CNN affiliate WUSA shows a remotely operated police robot approaching the rear of the truck and lifting the cargo door, followed by an FBI bomb technician who inspected the vehicle. A Park Police officer was later seen taking inventory of the U-Haul truck, packing up several pieces of evidence. Among the items that appear to be from the truck are a Nazi flag, a black backpack and a roll of duct tape. The cargo area of the moving truck appeared empty.
Law enforcement sources told CNN that Kandula made threatening comments regarding the White House at the scene. He also is facing charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, destruction of federal property and trespassing, Park Police said.
The incident prompted road closures as authorities investigated the crash, and the nearby Hay-Adams hotel was evacuated at the request of the Secret Service, a hotel employee told CNN. The hotel guests and employees were allowed back in when police deemed it safe a short time later.
The FBI’s National Capital Response Squad is assisting Park Police and the Secret Service in the investigation.
