Sai Varshith Kandula, a 19 years old man from Missouri, rented a U-Haul truck and drove the truck directly to the White House. He crashed the vehicle into a security barrier and then began waving around a Nazi flag. This meant the peak of a six-month plan to stop power the government has authorities stated on Tuesday, May 24, 2023. Sai Varshith was quickly arrested by a U.S. Park Police officer who hurriedly came to the scene where the crash happened and saw him take out the flag.
Kandula later revealed to the Secret Service agent that he came from St. Louis on a one-way ticket that night after he spent months planning the event that occurred. He wanted to come to the White House, seize power from the government, and have power over the nation for himself. Also, he stated he would murder the president if he have to. Kandula purchased the flag online because he said he respects the Nazis’ “great history” and their “one world order .”
The U.S. Secret Service watches hundreds of people who made threats to the president, but it isn’t clear if Kandula was watched by them at all or if he made threats to the president in the past. Which would complicate the secret service’s involvement.
No attorney was given for Kandula in the court records, several phone numbers are listed under his surname in public records. Also, efforts from the associated press to reach Kandula’s family members who had the option to speak on his behalf weren’t straight away successful.
The Public
Chris Zaboji, an onlooker of the incident, said the driver smashed into the barrier no less than two times. Zaboji is a 25-year-old pilot who lives in Washington. Zaboji was completing his run near Lafayette Square when he heard the U-Hual truck hitting the barrier. He stated that he took his phone out to record the truck hitting the barrier again.
When the U-Haul hit the barrier twice, he said he decided he wanted to leave. Officers who are from the Secret Service and Metropolitan Police Department examined the U-Haul truck after the crash. Also, a video was posted on WUSA-TV that shows a police officer at the setting collecting multiple pieces of evidence from the vehicle. No explosives or any other weapons were located in the U-Haul. But the Nazi flag was taken from the setting of the crash. The crash happened on the North Side of Lafayette Square at 16th Street.
Aftermath
Kandula was interviewed by Secret Service Investigators. Kandula was supposedly accused of threatening to kill, abduct, or cause harm to a vice president or president.
Joe Biden was in the white house during the incident stated by Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre on Tuesday, May 24, 2023. But it wasn’t interpreted that Biden knew about the incident going on outside while he was in the white house. Secret Service and the Park Police informed him quickly on Tuesday morning, according to Jean Pierre. Joe Biden was pleased that no one was hurt and grateful to law enforcement who acted quickly. Biden met up the house speaker Kevin McCarthy on Monday night to talk about the debt limit.
By Markita Thomas
Sources:
AP News: Missouri man accused of deliberately crashing U-Haul truck into security barrier near White House
NBC News: 19-year-old arrested on multiple charges after crashing into barriers near the White House
CTV News: Missouri man accused of deliberately crashing U-Haul truck into security barrier near White House
Top and Featured Image courtesy of Kevin Spencer – Creative Commons
Inset Image courtesy of Radek kucharski – Creative Commons
