Armed man shot at by US Secret Service outside White House

An armed man was shot at and critically injured by the US Secret Service outside the White House even as the official residence of the American President was put on lockdown for more than an hour.

The incident took place at around 3.06 PM (local time) yesterday when the a person, carrying a firearm, approached an outer perimeter checkpoint accessible to the general public on E Street near the White House, the Secret Service said.

The Secret Service agents gave numerous verbal commands for the accused to stop and drop the firearm.

"When he failed to comply with the verbal commands, he was shot once by a Secret Service agent and taken into custody," Deputy Assistant Director Office of Government and Public Affairs, United States Secret Service, David A Iacovetti said.

"The Secret Service recovered a firearm at the scene," he said, adding the man has been admitted to a nearby hospital.

As a precautionary measure, the White House was immediately put under lock down. President Barack Obama was not present on the premises at the time of the incident as he had gone to play golf at Andrews Airforce Base. The Secret Service agents also rushed to Vice President Joe Bide for additional security.

During a search of the man's vehicle parked near 17th Street and Constitution Avenue, federal agents found ammunition for a .22 caliber weapon.

No law enforcement personnel and bystanders were injured during the incident.