Police cite two people after drone lands on Ellipse near White House

WASHINGTON - Two people were cited by police Friday for flying a drone near the Washington Monument and landing it on the Ellipse adjacent to the White House, authorities said.

Sgt. Anna Rose, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Park Police, said the incident occurred late Thursday or early Friday. She said police seized the drone and gave the suspects criminal citations. The two people were not arrested.

Rose said the operators were near the Washington Monument, but few other details were available. Rose said more information would be made public later Friday.

In May, Secret Service officers stopped a person who was flying a small drone over Lafayette Park in front of the White House. In January, a recreational drone operator accidentally crashed a small device onto the White House grounds, triggering a lockdown of the White House.

And on Thursday, the Florida postal worker who landed a gyrocopter on the National Mall in April rejected an offer from prosecutors to plead guilty. He flew the device from Gettysburg, Pa., to the District saying he was delivering letters to Congress.

The Federal Aviation Administration says that everything within a 15-mile radius of Reagan National Airport is considered a "no-drone zone."


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By Peter Hermann

Source: The Washington Post



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