A 19-year old male has been arrested on multiple charges after telling authorities about his attempts to kidnap or kill the president, vice president or their family members after he crashed a U-Haul into a security barrier near the White House Monday night.
The driver from Chesterfield, MO has been identified as Sai Varshith Kandula, and according to U.S. Park Police, “[t]he U-Haul truck rammed against barriers at the north side of Lafayette Square, near Black Lives Matter Plaza on 16th Street NW,” which was allegedly the driver’s intent, at approximately 9:40pm.
Afterward, “[a] bomb squad responded to the scene and a robot was used to open the U-Haul.” Once the truck was declared safe, Park Police officer took inventory of the contents of the U-Haul truck, and a CNN affiliate video shows the officer “packing up several pieces of evidence, including a Nazi flag.” A search of the truck also “recovered duct tape, a backpack and a notebook filled with writing.”
No explosives nor weapons were found from the officer’s search of the interior of the vehicle, and President Biden’s whereabouts at the time of the crash have not been released.
This incident did ignite alarm around the area. Benjamin Berger told media outlets that he was in town visiting when he both saw and heard the truck crashing, stating “I turn around and just see people running away from this U-Haul,” adding, “And then I thought he might have just crashed, or it might have been by accident, but then I saw the vehicle back up and hit it again. So I proceeded to run away as well.”
Had Kandula successfully gotten through the security barricade, he “would have encountered two more layers of fencing before making it to the White House.”
Fortunately, there were no injuries, and Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said that Secret Service and Park Police officers took Kandula into custody shortly thereafter the crash.
A Secret Service spokesperson told NBC News that “[t]he Secret Service interviewed Kandula on Monday night, and the charge that he threatened to kill, kidnap or harm the president, vice president or a relative is related to his statements.” In addition, Kandula “is also facing charges of destruction of federal property, assault with a dangerous weapon, reckless operation of a motor vehicle and trespassing.”
Sources from law enforcement said that the U-Haul was rented by Kandula after traveling from St. Louis from the Dulles International Airport, which is located in Virginia.
The Metropolitan Police Department as well as D.C. Fire and EMS are also aiding in the investigation into this case.
Presently, it is unclear as to Kandula’s legal representation, but he is “expected to appear in federal court on Wednesday.”