Who is Sai Varshith Kandula? Missouri teen identified as the suspect in White House crash

The United States Park Police identified 19-year-old Sai Varshith Kandula as the suspect who intentionally crashed a U-Haul truck into White House barriers outside Lafayette Park in Washington DC, on Monday, May 22, 2023.

Shortly after the crash, the United States secret service Chief of Communications, Anthony Guglielmi, issued a statement confirming a driver crashed into the security barriers at the White House. He also noted that there were no injuries at the scene. In a statement via Twitter, he said:

“The truck has been deemed safe by @DCPoliceDept & preliminary investigation reveals the driver may have intentionally struck the security barriers at Lafayette Square. Charges will be filed by the United States Park Police with investigative support from the #SecretService.”

On Monday night, the driver of a rented U-Haul truck, identified as Sai Varshith Kandula, collided with a security barrier near the White House. Kandula, who was arrested at the scene, told investigators that he willfully crashed the truck into the White House barrier, as he wanted to seize power, take over the government and kill the president of the United States.

Multiple reports stated that Sai Varshith Kandula, a Missouri teen, traveled from St. Louis to Dulles International Airport, where he rented a U-Haul truck. Kandula then drove to the White House and rammed into a security barrier at about 10 pm on Monday on the north side of Lafayette Square. The incident was also caught on video.

The suspect then exited the vehicle and began waving a flag that authorities said had a swastika symbol on it. The teen was immediately detained by the park police. Authorities, who found duct tape and the nazi flag in the vehicle, said that the truck was devoid of any weapons.

The Nazi flag waved by the suspect pictured on the ground (Image via Melanie Alnwick/Twitter)

As per a press release by The United States Park Police, Kandula was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, threatening to kill, kidnap, inflict harm on a president, vice president, or family member, destruction of federal property, and trespassing.

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White House crash suspect Sai Varshith Kandula graduated from Marquette Senior High School

Per his Linkedin page, Sai Varshith Kandula, an American citizen from the St Louis suburb of Chesterfield, Missouri, graduated from Marquette Senior High School in 2022.

The suspect reportedly wanted to pursue a career in data analytics and described himself as proficient in coding languages after taking multiple programming courses for five years. On his Linkedin, Sai Varshith Kandula stated that he was pursuing employment in the field, noting that he did not have any prior job experience. Part of his Linkedin bio read:

“I currently do not have any job experience, since this is why I am actively searching for jobs in order for me to apply my skills when I do get a job in order to build experience in a company, although I learned, and taken multiple credential courses about programming, and coding languages for about 5 years which is the kind of experience I would say I have had besides a job experience.”

Authorities have not disclosed additional information on the incident, including the suspect’s ideological beliefs after he was seen waving a flag with an alleged swastika symbol.

ABC News citing park police reported that the incident is under active investigation.