FBI says driver rammed vehicle into the front gate of its Atlanta office

In an image taken from aerial video from WSB-TV, shows a red vehicle stopped by a barrier at the front gate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Atlanta division, in Chamblee, Georgia. Photo / WSB via AP

The FBI says a driver rammed a vehicle into the front gate of its Atlanta office but his motives were not immediately known.

The crash happened shortly after noon local time.

Pete Ellis, the assistant special agent in charge of the United States agency’s Atlanta office, told reporters the man tried to follow another vehicle through the gate and onto the FBI campus in suburban Chamblee, Georgia, but security precautions prevented him from entering. Several special agents who were passing by took the man into custody and no-one was injured, Ellis said.

The man, who was not associated with the FBI facility, was taken to an Atlanta hospital for evaluation, Ellis said.

Law enforcement officials are looking into both state and federal charges.

Agents and bomb technicians checked the vehicle “as a precaution” as part of the agency’s standard operating procedures, Ellis said.

Video from the scene showed a reddish-orange vehicle with its hood crumpled against a retractable barrier just inside the front gate. The vehicle was taken away by a tow truck just before 4pm.

Ellis said the investigation was ongoing and no further information was available.

A red vehicle stopped by a barrier at the front gate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Atlanta division. Photo / AP