A 17-year-old boy was arrested while another intruder got away after reports of an armed individual at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland put the base on lockdown Sunday night.
The teen had a gun and is in police custody. A second person got away on foot and wasn’t found, according to a statement from the base.
After searching for hours Sunday night, investigators said the second individual is thought to be somewhere off the base, and the main gate for the base opened around 3 a.m.
Officials told WTOP that there was no active shooter or any shots fired. The breach occurred at 9 p.m. after a vehicle failed to obey security commands at the main gate, according to a statement.
Units from Prince George’s County, Maryland State Police, D.C. police and the Office of Special Investigation assisted Joint Base Andrew Defenders in searching the base.
Colonel Tyler Schaff, the 316th Wing and Joint Base Andrews installation commander, thanked local law enforcement for their help in mitigating the breach.
“I am incredibly proud of the quick actions of our Defenders to immediately deploy the barriers to stop last night’s stolen vehicle and then apprehend one of the individuals that had a weapon. The Defenders handled the intense situation with discipline and calm professionalism,” Schaff said.
WTOP has reached out to Prince George’s County police for comment — they had no information on the local response.
The incident happened around the same time as Marine Two landed at the base with the Vice President on board.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff left the base on Marine Two, according to the White House pool reporters. The four cabinet secretaries who were traveling with the vice president — Secretaries Marsha Fudge, Miguel Cardona, Pete Buttigieg and Michael Regan — are also safely off base.
The investigation is ongoing.
This is a developing story. Stay with WTOP for the latest.
