Website Home

Friday, December 24, 2010

Scare for President Obama after man leads police on high-speed chase through security checkpoint near Hawaii holiday home

Freeze: A Secret Service agent draws her handgun after a man trying to evade police drove through a security checkpoint in Kailua, Hawaii













President Obama was involved in a security scare after a man led police officers on a high-speed chase through a security checkpoint near his Hawaii holiday home.

Secret Service agents sprinted towards the man's pickup truck and pointed a gun at the driver as he attempted to evade police.

He was arrested a short time later and the incident was not thought to be related to the President's visit to Kailua.

Witnesses reported hearing several police sirens in the neighbourhood and saw at least one officer running away from the holiday home with a hand on her weapon.

Mr Obama was golfing with friends at the time of the incident and Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said there was no threat to the First Family.

He said: 'It was completely unrelated to the visit and unrelated to the Secret Service.

Honolulu police were going to arrest someone they had traffic warrants for.

He was able to get away from them and led them in a high-speed chase which ultimately led to one of our checkpoints.'

The suspect, a 39-year-old Kailua resident, had driven past the checkpoint before turning back.

Police went to the man's house to arrest him for five outstanding traffic warrants, but he fled and led them on the high-speed chase.

He was shot with a Taser after refusing to get out of his vehicle and was being treated for minor injuries.

It followed a similar scare for former president George W Bush after a man accidentally drove his car through his yard in Dallas, Texas, after losing control of the vehicle.

The President landed on the island last night following a frenzied lame-duck legislative session in the U.S. Senate.

He began his holiday with a morning workout at a gym at Marine Corps Base Hawaii.

He returned to the base later in the morning to play a round of golf with two of his childhood friends from his years growing up on the island, as well as a family friend from Chicago.

Mr Obama has no public events scheduled during his 11-day holiday, and aides said he planned to spend much of his time at the luxurious rented oceanfront home with his family.

His half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, and her family live on Oahu. The President planned to visit several childhood friends while on the island and he was also joined by Chicago friends Marty Nesbitt and Eric Whitaker.

The start of his winter break was delayed after he stayed in Washington to get last-minute legislation pushed through the Senate.

Mr Obama managed to secure victories on his flagship foreign policy - the START nuclear arms treaty with Russia - as well as the repeal of the ban on openly gay service members.

He also struck a deal with Republicans to allow tax cuts for all income earners to continue - a compromise that angered some liberals.

The success provided a much-needed boost following a difficult year and a self-proclaimed 'shellacking' in the November mid-term elections.

He faces further battles to turn around the struggling U.S. economy and a Congress dominated by Republicans.

No comments:

Post a Comment