Man with guns arrested near White House

A Venezuelan national sat in a stolen truck near the White House with three guns, authorities said.

Ronny Guanipa-Chrinos was arrested after a Secret Service officer found him in a blue Ford F-150 on Constitution Avenue shortly before midnight on Thursday. The officer asked if the driver had weapons. Guanipa-Chrinos nodded and made a finger gun gesture, according to a criminal complaint filed in D.C. Superior Court.

After exiting the vehicle, the suspect spoke to investigators through Google Translate. He claimed he took the gun because others tried to kill him with it. He said the weapon was in a brown bag. The Department of Homeland Security stated that Guanipa-Chrinos also told officers he heard voices telling him to go to Washington, D.C., to kill President Donald Trump. Those specific remarks were not included in the court affidavit.

Searchers found a MAC-10 machine pistol, a Glock 43x pistol, and an AR-15 rifle inside the truck. They also recovered dozens of rounds of ammunition. The vehicle had been reported stolen.

Guanipa-Chrinos now faces charges for unauthorized use of a vehicle, receiving stolen property, and carrying firearms without a license. He appeared in D.C. Superior Court on Friday. Court records show he remains held without bond.

DHS says the 2024 entrant through Texas is undocumented. The incident occurred on the night of Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026.