Secret Service Arrests Man With Three Guns Near White House, DHS Says

Secret Service officers arrested a 26-year-old Venezuelan man near the White House on Thursday after finding three firearms in a vehicle reported stolen, according to the Department of Homeland Security. DHS says the man told officers that voices in his head had directed him to come to Washington and kill President Donald Trump.

The man, identified as Ronny Yordrix Guanipa Chrinos, is in custody and is expected in federal court on Monday, NBC News reported, citing a federal law enforcement source. The charges are allegations, and it was not clear whether he has an attorney.

The case in six numbers

• Three firearms. DHS said officers found an AR-15-style rifle and two handguns in the vehicle. NBC News named the handguns as a MAC-10 and a Glock 43X.
• Dozens of rounds. Officers also found dozens of rounds of ammunition, according to DHS, which released a photo of the seized items, CBS News reported.
• 26. NBC News cited a Secret Service police officer's affidavit giving Chrinos' age.
• 11:42 p.m. The affidavit says an officer woke Chrinos, who was asleep in a parked blue Ford F-150, at that time Thursday.
• Three counts, three times. He faces three counts each of unlawful transportation of a firearm, possession of an unregistered firearm and possession of unregistered ammunition.
• March 2024. DHS says that is when he entered the United States illegally through Texas, was arrested by Border Patrol and was later released.

What officials say happened

DHS said officers saw the man acting suspiciously in a parked vehicle on Constitution Avenue. A law enforcement source told CBS News the location was the 1600 block of Constitution Avenue NW, near the Ellipse.

According to DHS, he told officers he had heard voices telling him to travel to Washington and kill Trump. Officers then learned the vehicle had been reported stolen, and DHS said he admitted there were weapons inside.

Beyond the firearm counts, he was charged with carrying a rifle outside a home or business, possession of certain dangerous weapons, carrying a pistol without a license, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, theft and receiving stolen property, according to DHS. CBS News listed the same charges but did not mention the rifle count.

What the court document adds

The affidavit, as described by NBC News, gives a somewhat different account of the encounter. It says the stop began as a welfare check. Chrinos then used Google Translate to tell an officer he had weapons he wanted to turn over to the government.

The affidavit also quotes him saying through the app that he had taken the gun from people who tried to kill him with it. He told investigators the truck belonged to his boss, who had lent it to him, and that he had bought the weapons a month earlier and had been living in the vehicle, according to the document. The excerpts NBC reported do not include the statement about Trump that DHS described.

Fox News reported that Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer with the U.S. Marshals Service, which has custody of him. Fox also reported, citing authorities, that he was released into the country under the Biden administration. DHS provided no further details about his immigration case, NBC News reported.

Why it matters for security in the capital

Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement that the arrest showed agents using training and experience to defuse a volatile situation that posed an imminent threat. He also said the agency is alarmed by the increase in threat cases that continue to arise. According to Fox News, Curran said the agency will keep investigating proactively to identify suspicious individuals before they reach Washington.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin praised the officers, saying in a statement that the man was stopped before he could harm anyone.

For people who live in, work in or visit the area around the White House, the case shows how officers respond to reports of suspicious behavior near the complex. Fox News noted that vehicles were rammed into security barricades near the White House in March 2026 and October 2025. CBS News recalled that Trump has been the target of multiple assassination attempts, including the July 2024 shooting at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

What happens next

A federal law enforcement source told NBC News that prosecutors are reviewing the evidence. Chrinos is due in federal court Monday.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by Fox News, NBC News, CBS News