WASHINGTON — The White House grounds were briefly locked down Friday during the arrest of one person who falsely claimed to have "dropped explosives" near the complex, the Secret Service said.

Ervin Pettaway, 33, of Washington, D.C., was charged with one count of felony threats. He allegedly made the claim just before 9:30 a.m., to a uniformed Secret Service officer on patrol across from the north fence-line of the White House, the agency reported.

The incident occurred near the time President Trump was departing for a 12-day trip to Asia.

Pettaway did not gain access to the White House grounds, the agency said.

The incident prompted officers to clear all pedestrian and vehicular traffic from the area while dog teams and other units swept the scene.

No explosives were found and the lock-down was lifted at 10:23 a.m.