A Venezuelan migrant who allegedly told authorities he was hearing voices urging him to assassinate President Donald Trump was arrested near the White House after Secret Service officers discovered three firearms and dozens of rounds of ammunition inside a stolen vehicle.
The disturbing encounter unfolded Thursday along Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C., just steps from the National Mall and near the White House complex.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Secret Service officers approached a man identified as Ronny Yordrix Guanipa Chrinos after noticing him behaving suspiciously near a parked vehicle.
But what began as a routine security encounter quickly escalated.
When officers confronted Chrinos, he allegedly claimed that he was hearing voices instructing him to kill the president.
Authorities subsequently discovered that the vehicle associated with the suspect had been reported stolen.
Chrinos also informed officers that he had weapons inside the car.
A search of the vehicle uncovered three firearms, including an AR-15-style rifle, a MAC-10 handgun and a Glock pistol.
Officers also recovered dozens of rounds of ammunition.
The discovery prompted authorities to take Chrinos into custody before the situation escalated further.
Federal officials have not established that the suspect attempted to enter the White House or carried out an attack.
Nevertheless, his alleged statements and the weapons recovered from the vehicle raised serious security concerns.
The suspect was charged with multiple offenses, including carrying a rifle outside a home or business, unlawfully transporting firearms, possessing unregistered weapons and ammunition, theft, and receiving stolen property.
The incident also drew attention to Chrinos’ immigration history.
According to DHS, the Venezuelan national entered the United States illegally through the southern border in March 2024.
He was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol after crossing the Texas-Mexico border but was subsequently released into the country during former President Joe Biden’s administration.
Following Thursday’s arrest, Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer with the U.S. Marshals Service, which currently has Chrinos in custody.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin praised the Secret Service officers who intervened.
“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,” Mullin said.
The secretary also criticized the circumstances that allowed the suspect to remain in the country.
“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,” he added.
The arrest has heightened attention on security around the White House and the threats confronting the president.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran commended the officers for their response to what he described as a potentially dangerous situation.
According to Curran, agents relied on their training to deescalate the encounter while protecting the president and members of the public.
“This incident reflects the heightened threat environment in which we operate, as well as the continued number of armed individuals who are drawn to the White House complex,” Curran said.
He also expressed concern about the increasing number of individuals coming to the attention of federal authorities because of threats involving government officials.
“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,” he explained.
Curran said the Secret Service would expand its efforts to identify and investigate people who threaten individuals under federal protection, per the New York Post.
The goal, he emphasized, is to disrupt potential threats before suspects reach Washington.
Thursday’s incident illustrates the challenges authorities face when identifying potentially dangerous individuals near sensitive government facilities.
Officers initially approached Chrinos because of his suspicious behavior, but the encounter ultimately revealed an alleged presidential assassination threat and several firearms inside a stolen vehicle.
Authorities have not publicly established whether the suspect had developed a specific plan to attack Trump.
His reported statements about hearing voices also have not been accompanied by a publicly confirmed medical assessment.
For now, Chrinos remains in federal custody facing multiple criminal allegations.
And while no attack occurred, the discovery has renewed scrutiny of the security threats surrounding the White House and the circumstances that brought an armed suspect into the nation’s capital.
