A man was arrested on Wednesday after being stopped by the Secret Service near the Washington Naval Observatory, traditionally the vice president’s home, and later discovered he had a gun in the car.
Agents detained the man, Paul Murray, 31, as a possible suspect after they spotted him near the observatory around noon, the DC Metropolitan Police said. Murray was the subject of a Texas intelligence bulletin that circulated to the police in the area.
Law enforcement officers searched Murray’s car, where they found a rifle and a large amount of ammunition, the police said. It was not clear why Murray was in Washington from Texas or why he was near the observatory.
Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, have not lived at the observatory since the inauguration, as it is undergoing repairs. The Secret Service confirmed to NBC News that its agents detained a man near the residence on Wednesday, but did not comment on whether Harris and Emhoff were there at the time.
Murray was in custody, facing charges of possession of a dangerous weapon, rifle or shotgun outside a company, possession of unregistered ammunition, and possession of a large-capacity ammunition-feeding device.
It was not clear whether he has a lawyer.