An illegal immigrant from Venezuela was arrested near the White House on Thursday after he was allegedly found inside a stolen vehicle carrying multiple firearms and reportedly threatening to kill President Donald Trump, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
U.S. Secret Service officers approached the suspect Thursday evening after spotting him “acting suspicious in his car while it was parked on Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C.,” DHS told Fox News.
The suspect told officers that he heard voices in his head telling him to come to the nation’s capital and kill Trump, DHS said.
Officers subsequently learned that the vehicle had been reported stolen, and the suspect admitted to having weapons inside, according to DHS.
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A search of the vehicle reportedly turned up three firearms, including an AR-15-style rifle and two handguns, along with dozens of rounds of ammunition.
The suspect was identified as Ronny Yordrix Guanipa Chrinos, who illegally entered the country through Texas in March 2024 and was subsequently arrested by U.S. Border Patrol, according to officials.
He was later released into the country under the Biden administration, authorities said.
Following his arrest, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer for Chrinos with the U.S. Marshals Service, where he is currently in custody.
The U.S. Secret Service said the incident reflects a growing threat posed by armed individuals “drawn to the White House complex.”
“This is the latest example of Secret Service personnel relying on extensive training and experience to deescalate a volatile situation that posed an imminent threat to our protectees and other Americans,” U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement.
“While our personnel are trained to respond to situations like this and we remain confident in our tactics, we are alarmed by the increase in threat cases that continue to arise.”
In order to disrupt threats before they arrive in Washington, Curran said the agency will continue to “focus on proactively investigating and identifying individuals” who raise suspicion.
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DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin also commended the Secret Service for intervening before the suspect could harm anyone.
“This is just an example of the incredible work done by the men and women of the Secret Service every single day as they put their lives on the line to protect our nation’s leaders,” Mullin said in a statement.
Chrinos has been charged with carrying a rifle outside of a home or business, three counts of unlawful transportation of a firearm, three counts of possessing an unregistered firearm, three counts of possessing unregistered ammunition, possession of certain dangerous weapons, carrying a pistol without a license, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, theft and receiving stolen property.
The latest incident comes amid a series of alarming encounters and security breaches near the nation’s capital.
Just three months ago, a California resident was found near Capitol Hill after driving cross-country with an operational 10-foot guillotine in his pickup truck. He was identified as Philan-Tam-Duy Le.
In two separate but similar incidents, suspects also rammed vehicles into security barricades near the White House in March 2026 and October 2025.