Armed man shot at White House

Security staff surrounded the White House

American secret service agents have shot and wounded a man who fired shots near the White House, officials say.

The incident occurred on a public street along the fence on the south side of the White House late on Wednesday morning, local time.

Large numbers of secret service agents and local police were quickly on the scene after a number of shots were fired, and sealed off the area.

President Bush and his family, as well as Vice President Dick Cheney, were in the White House at the time of the alert.

Officials stressed they were safe.

"The president was never in any danger," White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said.

'Drop the gun'

Bush: 'Never in any danger'

The man has been identified at 47-years-old Robert Pickett from Evansville, Indiana.

One witness said he saw police hiding behind trees: "That's when I got down and they probably talked to him for a good 10 or 15 minutes.

"All I could make out was 'drop the gun, it doesn't have to be this way, we can talk to you'," the witness said.

"In a matter of five to ten seconds police and secret service cars flooded the entire area."

Eye witness
Dan Halbert

"As police were moving us back I heard a single gunshot, and as soon as I heard it all the police converged in the bushes area right outside the White House."

Another witness, Sook Jo, said she heard a popping sound. Then secret service agents appeared shouting at the man to "drop it".

She told reporters that the man then sat slowly down on the ground.

A spokesman for the secret services later said that an agent had shot "a male subject brandishing a weapon" in the knee.

Taken to hospital

The suspect was taken to the George Washington University hospital, a few hundred yards from the White House, where he is scheduled to undergo surgery later on Wednesday to remove bone fragments and a bullet from his knee.

White House security threats

May 1995: Gunman shot after he scaled White House fence

Dec 1994: Long-range shots hit White House

Sep 1994: Light plane lands on White House, pilot dies

Mar 1984: Man with sawn-off shotgun arrested outside White House fence

Doctors said although the wound was "serious", he was "medically stable".

Dr Yolanda Haywood said that Mr Pickett had not said a word during a 20-minute medical examination, behaviour she described as unusual in a gunshot victim.

He will undergo a psychiatric evaluation as part of routine tests.

Neighbours in his home town described him as a friendly man, who worked as an accountant.

The shooting incident happened only a few hours after President Bush held a reception on the White House lawn to promote his programme of tax cuts.

During the alert no-one was allowed to leave the White House.

"They locked down the entire White House," a spokeswoman for Congressman Bob Clement - attending a meeting inside the White House - said.