TPMMuckraker

Secret Service Searched Occupy D.C. Camp For Person Who Shot At White House

Secret Service Searched Occupy D.C. Camp For Person Who Shot At White House

Late update, Nov. 16, 2:11PM: The Secret Service announced the suspect was taken into custody in Pennsylvania.

The Secret Service searched Occupy D.C. on Monday for a man suspected of firing bullets at the White House on Friday, one of which was stopped by the building’s ballistic glass.

Protestor Ralph Wittenberg told TPM on Tuesday evening that authorities came through “searching for a so-called terrorist who shot at the White House, with no warrant, they went into everybody’s tents.”

A person handling media requests for Occupy DC confirmed the searches and said they were led by the Secret Service. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Police have been trying to locate 21-year-old Oscar Ortega Hernandez, a mentally ill man from Idaho who authorities say is connected to the incident, which apparently took place on Friday.

Agents began investigating after gunshots were heard on Friday night, but NBC Washington reports that agents didn’t discover the bullets until Tuesday morning.

One bullet hit an exterior window of the White House but was stopped by the bulletproof glass behind the historic glass. An additional round was found on the exterior of the building, the Secret Service told the news channel. Authorities recovered an AK-47 rifle near the scene.

Strangely, the Secret Service says the agency isn’t yet positive that the Friday incident is linked to the bullets found on the grounds of the White House.

Top Stories From TPM

Oklahoma GOP Sen. Tom Coburn Will Seek To Offset Tornado Aid

Secret Service Looking Into Radio Host’s Graphic Violent Comments About Obama, Hillary Clinton

GOP Nominee In Virginia Praised Three-Fifths Clause As An ‘Anti-Slavery Amendment’

VA GOP's Attorney General Nominee Wanted Women To Report Miscarriages To Police Or Face Jail Time

Federal Judge Smacks Arpaio In Racial Profiling Case

The NRA Thinks These Are The ‘Coolest Gun Movies’ Ever

Disqus Conversations

Click here to read the Disqus Commenting FAQ.

Editor & Publisher

Josh Marshall

Managing Editor

David Kurtz

Associate Editor

Nick Martin

Assistant Editor

Igor Bobic

Reporters

Brian Beutler

Sahil Kapur

Eric Lach

Hunter Walker

Frontpage Editor

Zoë Schlanger

News Writers

Tom Kludt

Video Editor

Michael Lester

General Manager & General Counsel

Millet Israeli

VP, Ad Sales

Bruce Ellerstein

Associate Publisher

Kyle Leighton

Assistant To The Publisher

Joe Ragazzo

Designer/Developer

Matthew Wozniak

Design Associate

Christopher O’Driscoll