Armed man arrested near White House wanted to "fire a couple shots," police say A Texas man who was arrested Tuesday near the White House with a loaded pistol and two hunting knives, also carried nearly 200 rounds of ammunition and told police he "was only going to fire a couple of shots," according to documents filed in D.C. Superior Court. Uniformed Secret Service officer Kevin Conner spotted Christopher Wade Briggs, of San Antonio, as he removed a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol from his backpack, just west of the White House in the 700 block of Jackson Place about 3 p.m., court records say. After his arrest, Briggs allegedly told police "I was only going to fire a couple of shots if no one confronted me," the documents said. Officers recovered the handgun with a round in the chamber and a 13-round magazine, two serrated edge hunting knives, two more magazines filled with 13 rounds each, plus an additional 171 rounds of .45 hollow point ammunition, court records said. Authorities charged Briggs with a carrying a pistol outside of a home or business, a felony charge. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Friday. Staff writer Keith A. Alexander contributed to this report.