Overview
- The incident began when 18-year-old Carter Camacho drove to Washington and ran onto Capitol grounds on Feb. 17, 2026 wearing camouflage and a tactical vest to approach the building.
- Uniformed U.S. Capitol Police stopped and arrested him before he entered; officers recovered a Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun loaded with seven rounds in the tube and one in the chamber and found the safety disengaged.
- Court filings show Camacho told police he intended to confront members of Congress to “scare them into speaking the truth,” and investigators recovered a handwritten journal that referenced killing AIPAC members and other officials.
- A search of Camacho’s phone found dozens of child sexual abuse images and more than 100 videos, which produced a separate federal count for receipt or distribution of child pornography to which he also pleaded guilty.
- The case was investigated by U.S. Capitol Police and the FBI, is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C., and highlights how surveillance and rapid police intervention blocked an armed approach to lawmakers while raising further questions about Capitol security and detention of suspects.