Secret Service arrests armed Venezuelan man near White House over threat to president

Secret Service officers arrested a Venezuelan man parked in a stolen car on Constitution Avenue with three firearms after he said voices in his head told him to come to Washington and kill President Donald Trump, DHS said.

U.S. Secret Service officers arrested a Venezuelan man near the White House on Thursday evening after finding three firearms and dozens of rounds of ammunition in his car, the Department of Homeland Security said. Officers approached the man, identified as Ronny Yordrix Guanipa Chrinos, after noticing him acting suspiciously in a vehicle parked on Constitution Avenue.

According to DHS, the man told officers that he heard voices in his head telling him to come to Washington and kill President Donald Trump. Officers then discovered that the vehicle had been reported stolen, and the suspect admitted to having weapons inside. They recovered an AR-15-style rifle, a MAC-10 and a Glock 43X pistol.

A Secret Service officer stands guard outside the White House (file photo)

He faces charges including carrying a rifle outside a home or business, three counts of unlawful transportation of a firearm, unregistered firearms and ammunition, carrying a pistol without a license, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and receiving stolen property. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer, and he remains in U.S. Marshals Service custody. DHS said he entered the country illegally through Texas in March 2024 and was released after being arrested by the Border Patrol.

"This incident reflects the heightened threat environment in which we operate, as well as the continued number of armed individuals who are drawn to the White House complex," Secret Service Director Sean Curran said, adding that the agency is "alarmed by the increase in threat cases."