Teenager in Tactical Gear Arrested Charging U.S. Capitol With Loaded Shotgun

2026-02-18 politics

Washington, Wednesday, 18 February 2026.
Capitol Police intercepted an 18-year-old charging the building in a tactical vest with a loaded shotgun. A search revealed a gas mask and helmet, underscoring heightened security risks.

Incident at the Capitol Complex

On Tuesday, February 17, 2026, U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) arrested an armed individual charging toward the legislative complex, narrowly averting a potential security crisis just days before a major national event. Just after 12:00 p.m., 18-year-old Carter Camacho of Smyrna, Georgia, parked a white Mercedes SUV in the 100 block of Maryland Avenue and ran toward the West Front of the Capitol Building [1][2]. Camacho was armed with a loaded shotgun and equipped with a tactical vest and gloves when officers intercepted him [2][5]. According to USCP Chief Michael Sullivan, officers challenged Camacho, ordering him to drop the weapon; the suspect complied, laying the firearm and himself on the ground before being taken into custody without injury [2][5][7].

Legal Proceedings and Threat Landscape

Following the arrest, authorities have leveled multiple charges against Camacho, reflecting the severity of the breach. He faces counts of unlawful activities, carrying a rifle without a license, possession of an unregistered firearm, and possession of unregistered ammunition [2][6]. While Congress was not in session at the time of the incident [1][8], the breach underscores a statistically alarming trend in violence and threats directed at federal officials. Data released last month indicates that threats against members of Congress rose for a third consecutive year in 2025 [3]. specifically, the USCP opened nearly 15,000 threat assessment cases last year, a dramatic surge of approximately 58.328 percent from the 9,474 cases reported in 2024 [5].

Upcoming State of the Union and Regional Security

The arrest occurs at a particularly sensitive moment for Washington’s security apparatus, exactly one week before President Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver his State of the Union address on February 24 [3][7]. Despite the breach, Chief Sullivan affirmed that the agency’s security plans for the upcoming address remain unchanged, stating that the department takes the event “very, very seriously” [7]. The incident also plays out against a backdrop of heightened federal intervention in the capital’s law enforcement. In August 2025, President Trump declared an emergency in the city to combat crime, resulting in the deployment of over 2,000 National Guard members and federal agents who remain active throughout the city [7].

Sources

Capitol security law enforcement