Man arrested after vehicle crashes near Lafayette Square Park outside White House
A driver crashed a vehicle onto a sidewalk near Lafayette Square Park on Monday, one of two separate arrests near the White House that day, while a Venezuelan man was arrested on Thursday after reportedly carrying three guns and saying voices urged him to kill President Trump.
A driver was arrested Monday after crashing a vehicle onto a sidewalk near Lafayette Square Park, just outside the White House, in one of two separate arrests reported at the site that day. The crash happened at the intersection of 16th and H Streets NW just before 10 a.m. Video from the scene showed the vehicle's engine smoking as officers moved in to detain the driver.
Officers reported that the driver was combative before being taken into custody. Secret Service and National Guard personnel responded to the crash. Because of the vehicle's condition and the proximity to the White House, the Metropolitan Police Department's explosive disposal team swept the vehicle as a precaution. Roads around Lafayette Park were closed afterward while the scene was cleared and the investigation proceeded. Authorities have not publicly disclosed a motive or announced charges in the case.
In the second Monday incident, a person jumped a barricade at the northwest corner of Lafayette Park and was arrested. Reporters who were working in the area were briefly moved into the White House briefing room before being released. Both Monday incidents remain under investigation, and officials have not linked them publicly.
A separate arrest took place Thursday on Constitution Avenue, where a Venezuelan man was found driving a stolen car. He reportedly had three guns and ammunition in his possession. The suspect, identified as Ronny Yordrix Guanipa Chrinos, reportedly told authorities that voices had urged him to kill Trump. The statement, as reported, places the threat directly against the sitting president and raises questions about the suspect's mental state, though no formal assessment has been made public.
Guanipa Chrinos entered the United States through Texas in March 2024, according to the reporting. He was later released under the prior administration after a Border Patrol arrest, a detail that has drawn attention to how the case moved through the immigration system before this week. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lodged a detainer against him, meaning federal immigration authorities have asked that he be held should he be released from criminal custody. The U.S. Marshals Service is currently holding him.
The Secret Service pointed to a growing threat from armed individuals drawn to the White House complex. The agency's concern is reflected in the sequence of events described this week: a vehicle crash with a combative driver, a barricade breach, and an armed suspect arrested days later on a major thoroughfare near the executive mansion. Each incident is being handled as a separate investigation, and officials have not yet said whether any of the cases are connected.
Source: foxnews.com
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