The unidentified man had entered Gate 12A off Ohio 444 near the Air Force Materiel Command headquarters, a spokeswoman said Thursday.
The driver was later determined not to pose a security risk, according to a statement from Wright-Paterson spokeswoman Marie Vanover.
The unidentified driver was told to pull over to a parking area to wait for an escort onto the base around 3:45 p.m., the statement said.
An escort arrived, but the two did not coordinate with security forces before driving off, which led to the alarm and gate closures, the statement said.
“The fact that this was at a time when people are leaving at the end of the day, that’s really what backed up the traffic,” Vanover said Thursday.
The driver and the escort returned to Gate 12A about 15 minutes later for questioning after the escort was contacted by telephone and told to return to the gate, according to Vanover.
“While after investigation, it was determined there was never any threat to the installation, this incident proved that our Security Forces Defenders responded quickly and professionally to avert any potential threat to the base,” the statement said.
Wright-Patterson spent $1.3 million on a security upgrade at Gate 12A in 2015 that included a pop-up barricade yards from the main gatehouse. It was not immediately known if the barricade was activated during the incident nor if security forces pursued the driver.
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Base officials denied an interview request with the base commander, Col. Bradley
Base officials denied an interview request with the base commander, Col. Bradley McDonald, or a security forces representative, about the incident.
The driver, who was not employed at the base, was questioned and released and was not expected to face charges, Vanover said.
In a security breach in November 2015, a Beavercreek man drove through Gate 22B at Interstate 675 and entered an Air Force Research Laboratory Sensors Directorate building, causing an hours-long employee evacuation and a shelter-in-place order at a nearby child care center.
The man pleaded guilty last month in U.S. District Court in Dayton to trespassing-related charges.
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