IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

White House Intruder Omar Gonzalez Indicted on Federal Charges

The man who scaled a fence and barged into the White House with a knife earlier this month was indicted on both federal and local charges Tuesday.
Get more newsLiveon

The Army veteran who scaled a fence and barged into the White House with a knife earlier this month was indicted on both federal and local charges Tuesday.

When first arrested on Sept. 19, Omar Gonzalez, 42, was charged with "unlawfully entering a restricted building or grounds, while carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon." A grand jury in Washington, D.C., Tuesday indicted him for that federal offense, as well as two more charges for breaking local District of Columbia law: carrying a dangerous weapon outside a home or place of business and unlawful possession of ammunition.

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison on the federal charge, and five years behind bars on the local weapon charge. The ammunition count is punishable by a maximum of a year in jail.

According to the Secret Service and federal prosecutors, on Sept. 19 at about 7:20 p.m., Gonzalez climbed over the north fence of the White House, where an officer with the Service ran toward him and yelled at him to stop. Gonzalez, however, ran toward the White House and was able to enter the building through the north doors. He then was tackled far into the East Room, by an off-duty agent, The Washington Post reported.

Gonzalez is scheduled to appear on Oct. 1, 2014, before Magistrate Judge Deborah A. Robinson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Image: Omar J. Gonzalez after an arrest in July. Police say Gonzalez jumped the White House fence and made it to the North Portico doors.
Omar J. Gonzalez after an arrest in July. Police say Gonzalez jumped the White House fence and made it to the North Portico doors before he was stopped.New River Regional Jail

IN-DEPTH

— Hasani Gittens