Police arrested two people in separate incidents near Lafayette Square Park just outside the White House on Monday, prompting a brief closure of surrounding roads and a temporary relocation of reporters into the White House briefing room.
Video circulating on social media showed a vehicle that appeared to strike a barrier on the north side of the park, with smoke rising from the engine. A Secret Service spokesperson said the driver was “combative” with officers but was quickly arrested.
“Just before 10:00 a.m., Secret Service Police and National Guard responded to the north side of Lafayette Park at 16th Street and H Street, NW, where a vehicle crashed onto the sidewalk. The driver was combative with law enforcement, but was quickly placed under arrest,” a Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement.
The statement added that the Metropolitan Police Department’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal team was called to sweep the vehicle as a precaution, which led to the closure of roads around Lafayette Park.
“Around the same time, a second individual jumped a barricade near the northwest corner of Lafayette Park. That individual was also quickly placed under arrest,” the statement said.
Both incidents remain under investigation. The Secret Service briefly moved reporters inside the White House briefing room as a precaution before releasing them.
Second Incident in Days Near White House
Monday’s arrests came just days after authorities detained a Venezuelan national outside the White House on Thursday. The Department of Homeland Security said officers found the man inside a stolen vehicle carrying multiple firearms and threatening to kill President Donald Trump.
Secret Service officers approached the suspect Thursday evening after noticing him “acting suspicious in his car while it was parked on Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C.,” DHS told Fox News. The suspect reportedly told officers he had heard voices telling him to travel to Washington and kill Trump.
Officers subsequently learned the vehicle had been reported stolen, and the suspect admitted to having weapons inside, according to DHS. A search turned up three guns, including an AR-15-style rifle and two handguns, along with dozens of rounds of ammunition.
Officials identified the suspect as Ronny Yordrix Guanipa Chrinos, who illegally entered the United States through Texas in March 2024 and was arrested at the time by U.S. Border Patrol before being released into the country under the Biden administration. After his arrest last week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lodged a detainer against him with the U.S. Marshals Service, which currently has custody of Chrinos.
The Secret Service said the incidents reflect a growing threat posed by armed individuals “drawn to the White House complex.”
This is a developing story.
