Bullet strikes White House window - CNN.com

By the CNN Wire Staff

updated 11:49 AM EST, Wed November 16, 2011

Bullets are believed to have hit the exterior window on the south side of the White House on Friday.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• No specific concern for the president's safety, a Secret Service official says
• The man being sought had a "direction of interest" toward the president, a law enforcement official says
• The bullets were found on the south side of the White House
• A bullet pierced the historic glass and was stopped by ballistic glass

Washington (CNN) -- The Secret Service is looking into whether a bullet fired into a window at the White House is connected to a shooting nearby last Friday.
The bullet was stopped by a bullet-proof window and did not enter the White House, the Secret Service said Wednesday. Authorities also found another round in the exterior of the White House. The bullets were found Tuesday, the Secret Service said.
"A round was stopped by ballistic glass behind the historic exterior glass. One additional round has been found on the exterior of the White House. This damage has not been conclusively connected to Friday's incident, and an assessment of the exterior of the White House is ongoing," a Secret Service statement said.
There is no specific concern for President Barack Obama's safety, a Secret Service official not authorized to speak on the record told CNN.
The bullets were found on the south side of the White House, the official told CNN.
Last Friday night at about 9 p.m., U.S. Park Police and the Secret Service investigated after hearing shots fired about 700 to 800 yards from the White House, the Secret Service statement said.
Within five minutes, officers located a vehicle in the 2300 block of Constitution Avenue.  Evidence in the vehicle led to U.S. Park Police obtaining an arrest warrant for Oscar Ortega-Hernandez," described as a 21-year-old Hispanic male, 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds.
A weapon registered to Ortega-Hernandez was found in the car, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation.
The Secret Service interviewed people who know Ortega-Hernandez, and determined he had a "direction of interest toward the president and the White House" -- a term that does not suggest a direct specific threat.
Authorities are searching for Ortega-Hernandez, with the FBI, ATF and Metropolitan Police Department all taking part, officials said.
"There's always an outer perimeter and this was on the very outer perimeter of our security," the Secret Service official said. "The gun and car were found within several minutes. We have a lot of security -- a lot of layered security down there and the security worked."
The law enforcement official familiar with the investigation said when shots were heard Friday night, there were reports of tires screeching and cars racing.

CNN's Carol Cratty, Athena Jones and John King contributed to this report.

via cnn.com