Uniformed officers of the Secret Service stopped a man in an electric wheelchair from setting himself on fire outside of the White House Friday afternoon:
.@SecretService tells me man in scooter type wheelchair lit his jacket on fire outside White House. Uniformed division secret service officers providing medical care. Incident ongoing.
— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) April 12, 2019
The unidentified man did manage to ignite his jacket before officers responded and extinguished the fire:
UPDATE: A male subject operating an electronic wheelchair-type scooter lit his outer jacket on fire while sitting along Pennsylvania Ave. outside the North Fence Line. Uniformed Division Officers immediately responded, extinguished the fire and rendered first aid.
— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) April 12, 2019
The man was reportedly transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries:
UPDATE: The male subject has been transported to a local hospital with what appears to be non-life threatening injuries.
— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) April 12, 2019
The moment officers dragged him away was caught on video:
HAPPENING NOW: @SecretService just apprehended man who tried to set himself on fire outside @WhiteHouse agent tells us pic.twitter.com/GvPYEZ8Cnm
— Mark Irons (@MarkIronsMedia) April 12, 2019
The Secret Service asked the White House press corps to move back inside the White House:
Secret Service asked the White House press watching the emergency response unfold in Lafayette Square to go back inside WH. @MacFarlaneNews reports that per fire officials, “man riding a scooter set his jacket on fire outside the White House at 245pm. Man injured in incident.” pic.twitter.com/61Lmgb3S3Y
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) April 12, 2019
Those ladders came in handy:
Media trying to cover security incident with Secret Service keeping everyone back. pic.twitter.com/TvMtru2NUz
— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) April 12, 2019
And they’re still inside, much to their chagrin:
When there is a security related incident, we cannot get out to our usual positions on the North Lawn. Still being kept in briefing room as investigation is conducted. pic.twitter.com/oQLCPt3Bt9
— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) April 12, 2019
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