Man detained for trying to fly drone over White House fence

A man was detained near the White House on Thursday for flying a drone, the Secret Service said. 

Secret Service officers took the person into custody after uniformed agents spotted the unmanned aerial vehicle flying approximately 100 feet in the air in Lafayette Park, across the street from the north side of the White House. 

The incident occurred just after 1:00 p.m. The facility was placed on lockdown, and several surrounding city blocks were shut down to traffic. 

{mosads}The drone was swept and declared safe by Metropolitan Police Department officers. The person in custody was then turned over to the U.S. Park Police. The lockdown was lifted just after 2:15 p.m. 

U.S. Park Police identified the man as Ryan McDonald, 39, of Vacaville, Calif. He was given a citation and ordered to appear in court. Flying drones in Washington, D.C., is illegal under federal law. 

It was the second drone-related incident near the White House this year. In January, a government employee who had been drinking crashed a drone on the White House grounds. 

The U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia decided not to pursue charges. But the episode raised questions about the White House’s defenses against a potential drone attack. 

White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters at Camp David on Thursday that he was aware of the latest incident.

This story was updated on May 15 at 9:44 a.m.