Washington – A man was arrested Wednesday in connection with an investigation into a shooting near the White House, the U.S. Secret Service said.
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The Secret Service discovered Tuesday that two bullets had hit the White House, one of them apparently cracking a window on the residential level while President Barack Obama was traveling.
The discovery of the bullet holes followed reports of gunfire near the White House on Friday night, although the bullets have not been conclusively connected with the Friday shooting. An assault rifle and an abandoned vehicle were found, which led authorities to link Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez to the reported gunfire.
Ortega, 21, was arrested Wednesday afternoon by Pennsylvania authorities at a hotel near Indiana, Pa., the Secret Service said. He was in Pennsylvania State Police custody.
Ortega is from Idaho Falls, Idaho, and was believed to be living in the Washington area. He was reported missing Oct. 31 by his family. He has an arrest record in three states but has not been linked to any radical organizations, U.S. Park Police said.
The bullet that hit the window was stopped by ballistic glass. The Secret Service did not disclose the location of the second bullet, saying only that it “was found on the exterior of the White House.”
On Wednesday, officials could be seen taking photographs of a window on the south face of the executive mansion. The window they were inspecting is in front of the so-called Yellow Oval Room, according to the White House website. The room is in the middle of the family’s living quarters on the floor that includes the president’s bedroom and the Lincoln Bedroom.
luckily the suspect was incredibly stupid to leave all this behind so he could get caught easily. otherwise the feds would never have gotten him
Unfortunately, there have been other incidents, where meshuganahs have attacked the White House, or the immediate area. A few years ago, someone actually crashed a small plane into the White House. Also, there have been gate jumpers over the years. When President Ford was in residence, someone jumped the gate, and was shot dead. In November, 1950, two Puerto Rican terrorists tried to shoot their way into Blair House, across from the White House,which was under renovation. There were only a few Secret Service personnel protecting President Truman. A gun battle ensued, and old Harry actually stuck his head out of the second floor window to see what was going on. One of the terrorists was killed, and the other was taken into custody. He was sentenced to death, since a White House guard was killed. However, Truman commuted his sentence to life. In 1979, the President Jimmie Carter actually commuted that individual’s sentence, and he was released. When he returned home to Puerto Rico, he received a hero’s welcome.