WASHINGTON — A man who jumped the White House fence Wednesday night suffers from mental problems, and has been arrested there before, according to his father. Dominic Adesanya, 23, of Bel Air, Maryland, barely made it onto the lawn before he was subdued as he fought two police dogs, the Secret Service said.
“Dog got him,” a Secret Service spokesman said.
Adesanya has been charged with two counts of felony assault on a police officer for attacking the K-9 dogs, four counts of resisting and unlawful entry, and one count of making threats, said Brian Leary, a Secret Service spokesman.
Authorities said he was unarmed at the time of his arrest.
His father, who did not want to be named, told CNN affiliate WMAR that his son is paranoid and hears voices.
Adesanya was arrested near the White House about two months ago and charged with a misdemeanor, he said.
“He had done it before. … He didn’t get that close,” the father told the affiliate. “He didn’t cross the fence. He was at the gate, fussing at the people, wanting to talk to the President to tell the President about his situation.”
The father said they’ve asked the government for help, without any success. He did not provide specifics on whom he sought help from.
“It’s hard to be in your house and not know if the person you’re living with is trustworthy and to know they’re mentally disturbed like he is,” the father said.
Before officers moved in, Adesanya kicked a K-9 unit dog and punched another one. The two dogs — Hurricane and Jordan — were treated by a vet for injuries suffered in the incident.
Wednesday’s incident is the second time someone has jumped the fence at the White House in the last month.
In September, a man — who police identified as Omar Gonzalez — scaled a fence armed with a knife and made it into the White House before he was detained.
Gonzalez’s indictment has been delayed until he undergoes a full mental competency evaluation.
