Secret Service officers arrested a man with three guns in his car near the White House on Thursday evening after he told them he had heard voices telling him to come to Washington and kill President Trump, the Department of Homeland Security said Friday.
DHS identified the man as Ronny Yordrix Guanipa Chrinos and said he is from Venezuela. He is in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lodged a detainer against him, meaning ICE has asked to take custody when he is released. He is presumed innocent of the charges.
What happened on Constitution Avenue
Officers approached the man on Thursday, Nov. 5, because he was acting suspiciously in a car parked on Constitution Avenue, according to DHS. When they confronted him, he made the statement about killing the president. The officers then learned the car had been reported stolen, and the man told them there were weapons inside.
They found three firearms, an AR-15-style rifle, a Mac-10 and a Glock 43X, along with dozens of rounds of ammunition, and arrested him.
DHS says he entered the U.S. through Texas in March 2024, was arrested by the Border Patrol and was then released into the country.
The charges
DHS lists 15 counts across nine charges:
| Charge | Counts |
|---|---|
| Carrying a rifle outside a home or business | 1 |
| Unlawful transportation of a firearm | 3 |
| Unregistered firearms | 3 |
| Unregistered ammunition | 3 |
| Possession of certain dangerous weapons | 1 |
| Carrying a pistol without a license | 1 |
| Unauthorized use of a motor vehicle | 1 |
| Theft | 1 |
| Receiving stolen property | 1 |
None of the listed charges is a charge of threatening the president. DHS did not say which court the case is in or when he will next appear.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran said the arrest reflects "the heightened threat environment in which we operate." The agency is "alarmed by the increase in threat cases that continue to arise," he said, and will expand efforts to identify people who threaten its protectees before they reach Washington.
