Man With Three Guns Arrested Near White House Allegedly Told Officers Voices Said to Kill Trump, DHS Says

A man with three firearms and dozens of rounds of ammunition was arrested within blocks of the White House late Thursday, Nov. 5. The Department of Homeland Security says he told Secret Service officers that voices in his head told him to come to Washington and kill President Trump.

DHS identified the suspect as Ronny Yordrix Guanipa Chrinos, a Venezuelan national. A Secret Service police officer's affidavit filed in court puts his age at 26.

What officers found

DHS said officers noticed suspicious behavior from a man parked on Constitution Avenue. A law enforcement source told CBS News the location was the 1600 block of Constitution Avenue NW, near the Ellipse.

Officers learned the vehicle had been reported stolen, DHS said. The agency says the suspect admitted there were weapons inside.

A search turned up an AR-15-style rifle, a MAC-10 and a Glock 43X pistol, plus dozens of rounds of ammunition. DHS released a photo of the seized items.

Two accounts of the encounter

The affidavit filed in court gives a more detailed, and somewhat different, picture. It says Chrinos was asleep in a parked blue Ford F-150 when officers woke and confronted him at 11:42 p.m. Thursday.

Officers first treated the encounter as a welfare check, according to the affidavit. Chrinos then used Google Translate to tell an officer he had weapons he wanted to turn over to the government.

The affidavit, as described, does not say he made the statement about voices. DHS attributes that statement to him in its news release. These are allegations from the government and have not been tested in court. It was not immediately clear whether Chrinos has an attorney.

Charges and immigration history

DHS says Chrinos faces three counts each of unlawful transportation of a firearm, carrying unregistered firearms and carrying unregistered ammunition. He also faces one count each of possession of certain dangerous weapons, carrying a pistol without a license, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, theft and receiving stolen property.

None of the announced charges is for threatening the president. The U.S. Marshals Service has him in custody.

DHS says Chrinos crossed the southern border into Texas in March 2024. Border Patrol arrested him, and he was later released into the country. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lodged a detainer with the Marshals Service.

"Thanks to our brave Secret Service officers, this illegal alien with three firearms in his vehicle was arrested near the White House before he could harm anyone," Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said. "On top of threatening President Trump, he is an illegal alien from Venezuela who had no business being in our country in the first place."

The White House did not issue its own comment, referring questions to DHS and the Secret Service, according to The Times of India.

Secret Service says threats are rising

Secret Service Director Sean Curran called the arrest "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."

Curran added that the agency was "alarmed by the increase in threat cases that continue to arise." He said the Secret Service would expand efforts to identify and investigate people threatening its protectees before they reach Washington.

The record he points to includes several recent cases. A gunman fired at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024, killing attendee Corey Comperatore and wounding Trump and two others. Ryan Routh was arrested in September 2024 after a Secret Service agent spotted him near Trump's West Palm Beach golf course.

In April 2026, a gunman breached security at the White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton while Trump and the first lady were attending. The suspect was arrested at the scene and a Secret Service officer was wounded.

What comes next

It is not yet known whether prosecutors will add a charge tied to the alleged threat against the president. The announced counts cover weapons and the stolen truck only.

The gap between DHS's account and the affidavit's also needs sorting out in court. One says he announced a plan to kill the president. The other says he asked to hand over his guns. A hearing date has not been announced.