Last Friday night Omar J. Gonzalez managed to do something that many would have imagined impossible. He scaled a fence at The White House, climbed over it and sprinted across the lawn before actually making it inside of President Obama's private residence. Of course Gonzalez was caught quickly and arrested on a slew of charges. At the time of his arrest he was carrying a small knife but no gun, although Gonzalez's car was apparently stocked for battle. He had over 800 rounds of ammunition, a machete and two hatchets in his vehicle.
Gonzalez, a 42-year-old Army veteran from Copperas Cove, Texas, faces charges of entering a restricted building or grounds while carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon. According to the Army, Gonzalez served from 1997 until his discharge in 2003, and again from 2005 to December 2012. At that time he retired due to disability.
Officers didn't fire at Gonzalez or send the police dogs after him because they said that they could see that he was unarmed. There was also concern that gunfire could accidentally hit innocent bystanders that were in the vicinity and unaware of the security breach. The president was not at home at the time of the security breach but it has raised valid questions about how much access people should be given to the "People's House" versus the presidential residence.
The Secret Service is now reevaluating their policies and tactics upon discovering Gonzalez's vehicle. While he couldn't have done too much damage with just a small knife on him it's pretty clear that he had the means to carry out a larger attack if he had wanted to do so.
