U.S. Capitol Security

An 18-year-old Georgia man, identified in court records as Carter Camacho of Smyrna, was arrested outside the U.S. Capitol after running several hundred yards from a parked Mercedes toward the West Front while carrying a loaded shotgun, extra ammunition and wearing a tactical vest and gloves; officers found a Kevlar helmet, gas mask and a knife in the vehicle, which was not registered to him. Camacho told U.S. Capitol Police he was "just there to talk to a Member of Congress," was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm on Capitol grounds, appeared in federal court and was ordered held without bond while investigators — noting Congress was not in session — probe his motive; no shots were fired and officers say he complied with commands.

U.S. Capitol Police say they arrested an 18‑year‑old man who parked a white Mercedes SUV near the Capitol just after noon Tuesday, grabbed a loaded shotgun and ran toward the West Front of the building before officers confronted him. Chief Michael Sullivan told reporters the man, who was wearing a tactical vest and gloves and carrying extra shotgun rounds, complied with commands, dropped the weapon, lay on the ground and was taken into custody without shots fired. Officers later found a Kevlar helmet and gas mask in his vehicle; the suspect was not previously known to Capitol Police, did not live in the area, and the SUV was not registered to him, with investigators still trying to pin down his true residence and motive. Sullivan said there is no indication of additional suspects or an ongoing threat, and praised officers for their response, noting that "who knows what could have happened" had they not been posted on the West Front. The case will fuel ongoing debates over security at the Capitol complex since Jan. 6, with early social‑media chatter already speculating about motive and ideology in the absence of confirmed details.