An 18-year-old man was arrested Tuesday after Capitol Police interrupted his dash toward the U.S. Capitol.
Although President Donald Trump will give his State of the Union address at the Capitol on Feb. 24, lawmakers were out of town this week. Many congressional staff members, however, would have been at the Capitol when the incident took place.
The man was wearing a tactical vest and gloves and carried a loaded shotgun, U.S. Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan said, according to NBC.
🚨 US Capitol Police detained a person with what appears to be a gun near the West Front of the Capitol.
Security caught it before it turned into another headline nobody can undo. pic.twitter.com/3FkoLZi3ZD
— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) February 17, 2026
Sullivan said the suspect carried additional rounds for the shotgun, NBC reported.
Police found a Kevlar helmet and a gas mask inside the suspect’s vehicle, Sullivan said.
🚨 BREAKING: The US Capitol Police say a man wearing a tactical vest jumped out of his vehicle and began RUNNING TOWARDS the Capitol Building while wielding a shotgun
He was then challenged by officers, who ordered him to the ground, and he was taken into custody.
Can’t WAIT to… pic.twitter.com/yBhs341BlN
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) February 17, 2026
The suspect parked a Mercedes SUV near the Capitol just after noon, Sullivan said, according to Reuters.
The man managed to run “several hundred yards” toward the Capitol, Sullivan said, according to Newsweek.
“Capitol police officers observed this individual, challenged him and ordered him to drop the weapon and get on [the] ground which he did comply with,” Sullivan said, according to the New York Post.
🚨 BREAKING: US Capitol Police have just alerted Congress that a person with a gun has been arrested near the West Front of the Capitol Building
No other details are immediately available
People are being asked to avoid the area. pic.twitter.com/64oZgzJNuw
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) February 17, 2026
“He was then taken into custody,” Sullivan said.
The man was identified as Carter Camacho of Smyrna, Georgia, according to news reports.
“Who knows what could have happened if we hadn’t had officers here standing guard, like they do every single day,” Sullivan said, according to the New York Post.
He said a few months ago, Capitol Police held an “active shooter exercise” at the “same spot” where Tuesday’s incident took place.
🇺🇸⚡️- An 18-year-old man wearing a tactical vest allegedly parked his vehicle near the U.S. Capitol, where he then attempted to enter, and presumably begin shooting, the Capitol by sprinting in with a shotgun when U.S. Capitol Police apprehended him.
The vehicle used by the… pic.twitter.com/VEbLyAuIkC
— Rerum Novarum // Intel, Breaking News, and Alerts (@officialrnintel) February 17, 2026
“We take the State of the Union very, very seriously and this doesn’t change our posture,” Sullivan said, the New York Post reported. “We’ll be prepared on State of the Union night.”
Sullivan said the man was not known to Capitol Police.
Capitol Police have investigated nearly 15,000 “concerning statements, behaviors, and communications directed against members of Congress, their families, staff, and the Capitol complex” in 2025, up about 58 percent from 2024, according to The New York Times.
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