Following Departure By Vice President Harris, Joint Base Andrews Locks Down After An Armed Teenager Breaches Security

It was recently reported that Joint Base Andrews went on lockdown following a breach in the base’s security by an armed 17-year-old male just moments after Vice President Kamala Harris and four Cabinet members departed on Marine Two.

The teen was arrested by authorities as another suspect escaped after “plowing through a security checkpoint” on the base Sunday evening, the Daily Mail reported:

The breach prompted a six-hour lockdown of the Maryland base the President and his top officials frequently use when flying out of Washington D.C.

Harris and cabinet members including Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had just departed the base after returning from a trip to Selma, Alabama, to mark the anniversary of Bloody Sunday. 

“An update from the military facility revealed that the main gates have been opened after a full-sweep declared that the second intruder had left the base and is now on the run,” the report continued.

“A release from Joint Base Andrews said that the 17-year-old who has been arrested remains in custody after being found in possession of a firearm,” it added.

The Daily Mail noted that the incident appears to be one of the most serious breaches of security at the base, which is situated just a few miles outside Washington, D.C., in Prince George’s County, Md.

Just about an hour before the incident, Harris and four Cabinet secretaries were on the base, having returned from Selma, Ala., where they took part in events to commemorate “Bloody Sunday.” The White House said Harris’s entourage landed around 9 p.m. and left shortly thereafter.

Harris left aboard Marine Two and traveled the short distance back to the nation’s capital before the security breach had been made public. The four Cabinet members were Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Housing Secretary Marcia Fudge, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan.

“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,” said Col. Tyler Schaff, 316th Wing and Joint Base Andrews installation commander.