Capitol Police Stop Arson Incident During Trump Visit, Hours After Thwarted Machete Attack
Charlie Kirk Staff
01/09/2025

A Virginia man was taken into custody by the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) late Wednesday after attempting to set his car on fire near the Capitol building while President-elect Donald Trump was visiting.
“Twice today our officers stopped a man who could have been a danger to the Capitol Hill community,” said U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger, Fox News reports. “This vigilance is critical during this time of heightened security.”
The USCP reported that the incident occurred as Trump was meeting with Republican senators and paying respects to President Carter. Around 5:30 p.m., officers were alerted to a vehicle parked on First Street, NW, near the Grant Memorial. The driver had reportedly lit a bag on fire atop the car.
Officers approached the scene, but the fire extinguished itself before they arrived. As a precaution, the USCP declared the vehicle suspicious and called in its Hazardous Incident Response Division, which eventually cleared the vehicle of any immediate threat by approximately 7 p.m.
The vehicle, which had been spray-painted, was found to contain accelerants in the extinguished bag. The driver was arrested on charges of unlawful activities.
Earlier in the day, USCP officers also detained a man attempting to bring a machete into the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC).
The Capitol Police stated that this incident occurred just after 2 p.m. when officers at the CVC’s north doors noticed the weapon inside a bag being scanned through an X-ray machine. The suspect, identified as 44-year-old Mel J. Horne of Washington, D.C., was arrested for carrying a dangerous weapon.
Authorities said Horne faces multiple charges and will be interviewed by investigators to determine his motives.