Voting Station

Omar J. Gonzalez

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Outlaw

The Resume

    (circa 1972- )
    Born in Puerto Rico
    Served two hitches in the US Army (1997-2003,2005-12)
    Retired on disability grounds
    Long-time resident of Copperas Cove, Texas (near Fort Hood)
    Jumped the fence on the Pennsylvania Avenue side of the White House, ran across the lawn, and entered the White House through the North Portico door (September 19, 2014)
    Made it to the East Room before being tackled by a Secret Service agent
    Indicted on federal charges of entering a restricted area while carrying a dangerous weapon (September 30, 2014)

Why he might be annoying:

    His ex-wife said that after he left the army, he began carrying a gun all the time and hid shotguns behind closet doors.
    His neighbors said he became convinced that he was being spied on.
    His car was pulled over for driving erratically on Interstate 81 in Virginia and police found a sawed-off shotgun, two rifles, three handguns, ammo and a map of Washington, DC, with the White House circled (July 19, 2014).
    Somehow, it did not occur to state police that this incident might be worth passing on to the Secret Service.
    He was stopped, but not arrested, on the sidewalk outside the White House fence with a hatchet in his waistband (August 25, 2014).
    He had a three-inch folding knife on him when he entered the White House.
    The Secret Service royally effed up in failing to stop him before he reached the White House.
    The standard operating procedure in which dogs are released to take down the intruder while he is on the lawn was not followed.
    White House guards were not notified of an intruder on the lawn in a timely manner, so the White House doors remained unlocked.
    The initial Secret Service reports indicated that he had been nabbed just after getting inside the door; the fact that he made it to the East Room leaked out later.
    The agent who tackled him in the East Room was off duty and just happened to be at the right place and right time to grab him.

Why he might not be annoying:

    The Obamas had left the White House for Camp David about 20 minutes before Gonzalez jumped the fence, so the President was never in danger.
    A Secret Service spokesperson explained that agents did not shoot at him because he was not carrying a gun and his clothes did not appear bulky enough to be concealing an explosive device.
    He served two combat tours in Iraq.
    According to relatives, his foot was badly damaged by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Iraq.
    He may have been suffering post-traumatic stress disorder.
    His ex-wife said, 'He's not a bad guy. He needs to get treatment.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 43 Votes: 53.49% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 12 Votes: 91.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 80 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 32 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 12 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 35 Votes: 57.14% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 94 Votes: 50.0% Annoying