Secret Service arrests man after White House weapons find

Secret Service officers arrested a man near the White House after a welfare check led to three firearms, federal authorities said.

The Department of Homeland Security identified the man as Ronny Yordrix Guanipa Chrinos and said he told officers that voices were directing him to kill President Trump. The department announced the arrest Friday, following an encounter late Thursday on Constitution Avenue.

Chrinos remained detained Friday and faced weapons and property charges, according to the department. Whether he had a lawyer available to respond to the allegations was unclear.

A welfare check becomes an arrest

A court affidavit from a Secret Service police officer described the initial encounter as a check on Chrinos’ welfare. The officer found the 26-year-old asleep inside a blue Ford F-150 and woke him at 11:42 p.m. Thursday, according to the document.

Using Google Translate, Chrinos communicated that he wanted to surrender weapons to authorities, the affidavit said. The department’s separate statement described officers approaching him over behavior they considered suspicious.

Officers recovered ammunition and three firearms from the vehicle: a rifle described as AR-15 style, a MAC-10 handgun and a Glock 43X pistol, according to the department. The allegation concerning a threat against Trump came from the department’s statement; it was not independently corroborated in the available account.

Weapons and truck accounts differ

The affidavit recorded several explanations Chrinos gave officers about the weapons. In one exchange conducted through the translation app, he allegedly said he had taken a gun from people who had tried to kill him and indicated that it was inside a brown bag.

Chrinos subsequently told investigators that he had purchased the weapons roughly a month earlier, according to the affidavit. He also said he was living inside the truck.

Officials described the vehicle as having been reported stolen. Chrinos gave investigators a different account, saying his employer owned the truck and had allowed him to use it, according to the court document.

The department listed three counts apiece involving unlawful firearm transportation, firearms lacking registration and ammunition lacking registration. It also reported a charge concerning carrying a rifle somewhere other than a residence or business.

Additional charges concerned dangerous-weapon possession, an unlicensed pistol, use of a vehicle without authorization, theft and receipt of stolen property, the department said. Those accusations concern weapons and property; the department’s charge list did not identify a separate count alleging a threat against the president.

Threat allegation remains an official claim

The department also alleged that Chrinos, a Venezuelan national, had entered the United States unlawfully in 2024. It said Border Patrol detained him before he was released, but provided no further immigration-case details.

Secret Service Director Sean Curran credited personnel’s preparation and efforts to calm potentially dangerous encounters. He also expressed concern about an increase in threat investigations, although his statement supplied no figures or comparison period.

The case leaves separate questions about the alleged presidential threat, possession of the weapons and authorization to use the truck. Further court proceedings would provide an opportunity for prosecutors to present their evidence and for Chrinos to answer the allegations.