Man arrested near vice president's residence in D.C. had rifle, police say

A man was arrested Wednesday after he was stopped by the Secret Service near the Naval Observatory in Washington, traditionally the home of the vice president, and later found to have had a gun in his car.

Agents detained the man, Paul Murray, 31, as a possible suspicious person after they spotted him near the observatory around noon, D.C. Metropolitan Police said. Murray was the subject of an intelligence bulletin from Texas that circulated to police in the area.

Police officers searched Murray's car, where they found a rifle and a large amount of ammunition, police said. It was unclear why Murray was in Washington from Texas or why he was near the observatory.

Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, have not been living at the observatory since the inauguration as it has been undergoing repairs. The Secret Service confirmed to NBC News that its agents detained a man near the residence Wednesday but did not comment as to whether Harris and Emhoff were there at the time.

Murray was in custody facing charges of carrying a dangerous weapon, carrying a rifle or a shotgun outside a business, possession of unregistered ammunition and possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device.

It was unclear whether he has an attorney.