A Maryland man hopped the White House fence and assaulted two police dogs Wednesday night before he was apprehended by Secret Service agents on the North Lawn.
Dominic Adesanya, 23, was charged with felonies for making threats and punching and kicking the canine officers, as well as four misdemeanor charges. President Obama was inside the White House when the breach occurred.
Video footage below shows Adesanya jumping the fence around 7:15 p.m., and kicking and punching police dogs on the lawn.
Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary reported that Adesanya was unarmed while the dogs, Hurricane and Jordan, were taken to a veterinarian for minor bruising, and were cleared to return to work.
Adesanya was also charged with unlawful entry at the White House complex in a July incident, in which he allegedly told an officer that hopping the compromised security barrier "was easy and that the next fence to the south grounds of the White House would not be a problem as well."
The former Stevenson University track athlete also told officials that the Rothschilds – a prominent banking family – were watching him. Adesanya was ordered to attend outpatient mental health treatment and was expected in court on September 9.
Three days after the July arrest, Adesanya was apprehended at the White House complex after he refused to leave the Treasury building and swung his fists at officers. He was given a curfew and ordered to wear an electronic monitoring device. A warrant was issued for Adesanya's arrest after he failed to appear at his September court date.
Wednesday's breach marks the seventh time this year that someone has made it over the White House fence. Just over a month ago, a man with a knife darted over the fence, across the lawn, and into the executive mansion before being captured by Secret Service agents. That incident led to the resignation of former Secret Service director Julia Pierson. Internal and independent reviews of the agency's practices are currently underway.
