Travis Reinking approached a Secret Service officer at the northeast pedestrian gate on Pennsylvania Avenue on July 7, 2017, and told the officer that he had to get into the White House to speak with the president.
The suspect in the Nashville, Tennessee, Waffle House shooting was arrested in 2017 for trespassing at the White House.
(WTOP/Neal Augenstein)
WTOP/Neal Augenstein
A police car sits in front of a Waffle House restaurant Sunday, April 22, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. At least four people died after a gunman opened fire at the restaurant early Sunday.
(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
AP Photo/Mark Humphrey
James Shaw speaks after a news conference Sunday, April 22, 2018 in Nashville, Tenn. Shaw wrestled the gun from a man who opened fire in a Waffle House restaurant earlier in the day, killing at least four people.
(AP Photo/Sheila Burke)
AP Photo/Sheila Burke
People look over the area near a window shot out at a Waffle House restaurant Sunday, April 22, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. At least four people died after a gunman opened fire at the restaurant early Sunday.
(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
AP Photo/Mark Humphrey
Nashville police officers search a neighborhood near a Waffle House restaurant Sunday, April 22, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. At least four people died after a gunman opened fire at the restaurant early Sunday.
(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
AP Photo/Mark Humphrey
Police tape blocks off a Waffle House restaurant Sunday, April 22, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. At least four people died after a gunman opened fire at the restaurant early Sunday.
(AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
AP Photo/Mark Humphrey
This photo provided by Metro Nashville Police Department shows Travis Reinking, who police are searching for in connection with a fatal shooting at a Waffle House restaurant in the Antioch neighborhood of Nashville early Sunday, April 22, 2018.
(Metro Nashville Police Department via AP)
Metro Nashville Police Department via AP
This photo provided by the Metro Nashville Police Department photo shows the rifle used in the deadly shooting at a Waffle House on Sunday, April 22, 2018, in the Antioch neighborhood of Nashville.
(Metro Nashville Police Department via AP)
Metro Nashville Police Department via AP
Metro Nashville Police bomb squad personnel arrive at Discovery at Mountain View Apartments Sunday, April 22, 2018 in Nashville, Tenn. At least four people died when a gunman opened fire at a nearby Waffle House restaurant earlier in the day.
(Shelley Mays, The Tennessean via AP)
WASHINGTON — The man who allegedly shot and killed four people at a Waffle House in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday was arrested last year by the U.S. Secret Service for trespassing at the White House.
Travis Reinking approached a Secret Service officer at the northeast pedestrian gate on Pennsylvania Avenue on July 7, 2017, and told the officer that he had to get into the White House to speak with the president.
According to the arrest report, the officer told Reinking how to obtain a tour, and told him to stop blocking the pedestrian entrance.
Reinking again said he wanted to speak to the president, “and said he was a sovereign citizen and has a right to inspect the grounds,” wrote the arresting officer.
After being told again he was blocking the pedestrian entrance, Reinking “began to take his tie off and balled it into his fist and began approaching (the arresting officer) and walked past the security barriers, stating, ‘Do what you need to do. Arrest me if you have too (sic).'”
Reinking was escorted out of the secure area, questioned and arrested for unlawful entry — a misdemeanor that is punishable by up to six months in prison and/or a $1,000 fine.
On July 26, 2017, Reinking entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
“The agreement called for him to abide by all laws for a four-month period and perform 32 hours of community service during that time,” said Bill Miller, spokesman for D.C. prosecutors. “He met those conditions and the case against him was dismissed on Nov. 17.”
Reinking was later questioned by the FBI and Tazewell County, Illinois, authorities. His firearm authorization was revoked, and four weapons were seized.
One of the weapons seized was the AR-15 used in the Waffle House shooting.
According to the Metropolitan Nashville Police, “The guns were returned to Reinking’s father, who has acknowledged giving them back to his son.”
Neal Augenstein has been a general assignment reporter with WTOP since 1997. He says he looks forward to coming to work every day, even though that means waking up at 3:30 a.m.
