U.S. Secret Service agents arrested the owner of a suspicious vehicle that was discovered near the White House in the early hours of Tuesday morning, after the suspect was found with an unlicensed pistol.

"On January 23, 2018, at approximately 2:30 a.m., Secret Service Uniformed Division officers were alerted to a suspicious vehicle in the vicinity of the White House complex," the agency said in a statement Tuesday morning. "During their investigation, officers discovered the operator of the vehicle was in possession of a loaded firearm."

The vehicle owner, who was not identified by name, was charged with "carrying a pistol without a license, possession of an unregistered firearm, and possession of unregistered ammunition." He was transferred to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department for processing following his arrest.

The incident occurred on the H Street block between 15th and 17th Streets, within the White House complex and blocks away from Lafayette Park.