A routine U.S. Capitol Police patrol on Wednesday morning led to the arrest of a 23‑year‑old Oregon man and the discovery of a large cache of weapons inside his vehicle parked just steps from the Capitol. Authorities described the arrest as a sharp reminder of the ever-present challenges in protecting the seat of U.S. government.
Officers from the USCP’s First Responders Unit first noticed a red Subaru Outback—distinctively outfitted with a children’s tricycle tied to its roof—illegally parked in a congressional staff lot along the 200 block of Pennsylvania Avenue NW. A cursory glance inside the vehicle revealed a bow and arrow, a knife, and an empty pistol holster, prompting the officers to investigate further
Using the license information of the vehicle, the USCP command center located and interviewed the driver, later identified as Nolan R. Churan of Oregon, near the Capitol’s north barricade. Churan admitted to having firearms in his car. A K‑9 unit from the Metropolitan Police Department alerted officers to the presence of ammunition and firearms, triggering a formal vehicle search.
Inside the vehicle, investigators recovered a disturbing assortment of weaponry: a rifle, a handgun, multiple rounds of ammunition, several knives, axes, a medieval‑style halberd, a rapier sword and the bow and arrow initially observed crime‑scene experts processed the scene before Churan was taken into custody.
Churan now faces an array of charges: unlawful activities; carrying unregistered firearms and ammunition; possession of a high‑capacity ammunition feeding device; and carrying dangerous weapons, including a sword. At the time of the press release, investigators said there was no known connection between Churan and Congress or Capitol events
