Armed man arrested near White House; DHS says he claimed voices told him to kill Trump

The U.S. Secret Service arrested a man near the White House late on Nov. 5 after finding three guns and dozens of rounds of ammunition in the stolen pickup he was driving. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says the man told officers that voices in his head told him to come to Washington to kill President Donald Trump; he appeared in D.C. Superior Court on Nov. 6 and remains in custody.

Late-night stop finds three guns

The incident happened at about 11:42 p.m. on Nov. 5. A Secret Service officer on patrol in the 1600 block of Constitution Avenue NW, near the Ellipse, spotted a blue Ford F-150 pickup parked at the kerb with a man inside acting suspiciously. When the officer asked whether he was safe and whether he had any weapons, the man nodded and made a finger-gun gesture. A search found an AR-15-style rifle, a MAC-10 submachine gun and a Glock 43X pistol, along with dozens of rounds of ammunition; the truck had been reported stolen in South Carolina.

'Voices' claim not in the court complaint

DHS said in a statement on Nov. 6 that the man told officers he heard voices in his head telling him to come to Washington and kill Trump. ABC News reported, however, that the court complaint does not include the alleged remarks. Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in the statement that officers arrested the man before he could harm anyone; Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin also issued a statement. Federal prosecutors are reviewing the evidence, and the man is expected to appear in federal court on Monday.

Identity and charges

DHS identified the man as Ronny Yordrix Guanipa Chrinos, a 26-year-old Venezuelan national. The department said he entered the United States illegally through Texas in March 2024, was arrested by the Border Patrol and later released; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lodged a detainer against him, and he is in U.S. Marshals Service custody. He faces charges including carrying a rifle outside a home or business, three counts of unlawful transportation of a firearm, three counts of unregistered firearms, three counts of unregistered ammunition, possession of certain dangerous weapons, carrying a pistol without a license, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, theft and receiving stolen property. Like anyone charged with a crime, he is presumed innocent.

(Sources: The Associated Press; ABC News; NBC News; U.S. Department of Homeland Security.)