Police identify driver of U-Haul that crashed near White House, charged with 'threat to kidnap'

A 19-year-old man is in custody after the U.S. Secret Service said he intentionally crashed a U-Haul truck into a barrier at Lafayette Square near the White House, and investigators reportedly recovered a Nazi flag from the scene. 

The driver, identified by U.S. Park Police as Sai Varshith Kandula of Chesterfield, Missouri, was arrested and charged with multiple counts, including assault, recklessly operating a motor vehicle and threatening to kidnap, kill or inflict harm upon a president, vice president or their family members, among other things.

Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said that no members of his department or White House personnel were injured and the cause of the Monday evening crash is still being investigated. 

Video from Reuters shows that a Nazi flag was seized from the truck's cab and spread out across the concrete as police collected evidence.

Guglielmi also said the truck has been deemed safe but the "preliminary investigation reveals the driver may have intentionally struck the security barriers at Lafayette Square."

Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.