Man with guns arrested near White House after telling officers he heard voices
A 26-year-old Venezuelan national was taken into custody Thursday night after using Google Translate to explain his weapons to Secret Service agents.
By Lauren Foster ·
Ronny Yordrix Guanipa Chrinos was living out of his truck in Washington, D.C., when federal agents woke him on Thursday night. He had three guns and a plan to kill the president, according to court documents.
Chrinos, 26, was asleep in a blue Ford F-150 parked on Constitution Avenue when Secret Service officers approached him at 11:42 p.m. The vehicle had been reported stolen. Officials said Chrinos was in the country illegally and had entered in 2024 before being released after a Border Patrol arrest.
Agents initially treated the encounter as a welfare check. Chrinos used a phone app to translate his words to the officers. He told them he had weapons he wanted to hand over. He said, “I have the item they wanted to kill me over, along with the outfit to go with it; if you want, I can hand it over without putting up any resistance.”
He added that he had the gun because they tried to kill him with it. He said he had to take it away from them and that it was in a brown bag. Officers found an AR-15 style rifle, a Mac 10 handgun, a Glock 43X pistol, and ammunition inside the truck.
Chrinos told investigators the truck belonged to his boss, who had lent it to him. He said he bought the weapons one month ago. He told officers that voices in his head told him to come to Washington, D.C., and kill President Donald Trump.
The Department of Homeland Security announced the arrest Friday. Chrinos faces 14 charges. These include carrying a rifle outside a home or business and three counts of unlawful transportation of a firearm. He also faces charges for unregistered firearms and ammunition, possession of dangerous weapons, and unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
Chrinos remains in federal custody. Prosecutors are reviewing the evidence. He is scheduled to appear in federal court on Monday. Secret Service Director Sean Curran said the agency is alarmed by the increase in threat cases. He noted that agents are trained to de-escalate volatile situations.
