Georgia man charged after running toward U.S. Capitol with loaded shotgun

An 18-year-old Georgia man who ran toward the U.S. Capitol with a loaded shotgun has been charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm on Capitol grounds, according to federal prosecutors. The suspect told officers he was there to talk to a member of Congress.

The charge stems from the incident shortly after noon Tuesday on the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol complex in Washington, D.C., when U.S. Capitol Police officers confronted the suspect at the base of the Capitol steps.

According to charging documents, Carter Camacho, 18, of Smyrna, Georgia, parked a white Mercedes SUV on Maryland Avenue SE between First and Third Streets at about 12:07 p.m., exited the vehicle and ran toward the Capitol carrying a firearm while wearing a tactical-style vest and camouflage-style clothing.

A uniformed U.S. Capitol Police officer asked Camacho what he was carrying, and Camacho produced the weapon. The officer ordered him to halt and lie on the ground, and he complied.

Officers recovered a Mossberg Model 88 12-gauge shotgun loaded with seven rounds in the tube and one in the chamber, with the safety off. An additional 17 rounds of ammunition were in a carrier attached to the shotgun’s stock.

Camacho told officers “he was just there to talk to a Member of Congress.” The complaint does not identify which lawmaker he was referring to.

Police traced his path back to the white Mercedes SUV and found a fixed-blade knife on the ground about 40 feet from the vehicle. Inside the SUV, officers previously said they saw a Kevlar helmet and a gas mask. The vehicle was not registered to Camacho.

Camacho made his first appearance in U.S. District Court on Wednesday. A detention hearing is scheduled for March 2.

He is charged in a complaint with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm within the United States Capitol Buildings or Grounds. The case is being investigated by the U.S. Capitol Police.