The Secret Service detained the driver of a box truck late Monday night after the vehicle crashed into security barriers along Lafayette Square, near the White House, the authorities said.
Anthony Guglielmi, a Secret Service spokesman, said it was unclear whether the crash was accidental or intentional. It occurred on the north side of Lafayette Square at 16th Street NW, which is about a block from the White House, shortly before 10 pm, he said. He added that there were no injuries to White House or Secret Service personnel.
The authorities shut down streets for blocks around the White House as they inspected the truck. A DC fire department spokesman said his agency was called in to help with the investigation, and local television stations broadcast images of a robot opening the back of the truck.
The Secret Service is conducting interviews to try to determine the “cause and manner” of the crash, Mr. Guglielmi said.