WASHINGTON — The U.S. Secret Service apprehended a man who was flying a small drone Thursday afternoon in a park outside the White House.
Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary said the drone, about the size of an iPad, was flying at about 100 feet over Lafayette Park, which is just across Pennsylvania Avenue from the north fence of the White House.
Leary said the operator was detained and asked to land the device. He said the man complied and that the officers recovered the drone in the park. The Washington Metropolitan Police Department swept the drone and declared it safe.
Leary said the man was turned over to the U.S. Park Police.
The incident occurred shortly after 1 p.m. and placed the White House on lockdown for more than an hour. President Barack Obama was away at the time, hosting a meeting with Persian Gulf leaders in the Maryland presidential retreat of Camp David.