On September 19, 2014, there was a man named Omar Gonzalez who jumped over the north fence of the White House and sprinted just past the entrance where he was finally stopped. Apparently, he was an Iraq war veteran who is suffering from PTSD. Gonzalez was carrying a Spyderco VG-10 folding knife that had a 3 1/2-inch blade in his pants pocket. Once the authorities got him, police say they found more than 800 rounds of ammunition, two hatchets, and a machete in his car. There was also a map of Washington D.C. with a line pointed towards the White House. Gonzalez told a Secret Service agent “he was concerned that the atmosphere was collapsing and needed to get the information to the President of the United States so that he could get the word out to the people.” Judging from the amount and caliber of the supplies, it is possible he was planning to do more than just talking to Obama.

Fortunately, President Obama and his family were not present at the time.  Gonzalez was accused of unlawfully entering a restricted building or grounds while carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon. As of Saturday, he was in custody and was set to appear in court Monday, September 21.

There was also a second incident that happened around the same weekend. Kevin Carr (about 19 years old), a man from New Jersey, was arrested after driving up to a security barrier and trying to enter the White House by walking to it. He was charged with unlawful entry.

Since these two incidents, the Secret Service is planning to enhance its surveillance measures around the White House.