{"id":2570853,"date":"2026-02-17T19:36:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T00:36:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/alert-gunman-arrested-at-capitol-today-carrying-loaded-shotgun-wearing-tactical-vest\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T19:39:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T00:39:13","slug":"alert-gunman-arrested-at-capitol-today-carrying-loaded-shotgun-wearing-tactical-vest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/alert-gunman-arrested-at-capitol-today-carrying-loaded-shotgun-wearing-tactical-vest\/","title":{"rendered":"ALERT: Gunman Arrested at Capitol Today &#8211; Carrying Loaded Shotgun, Wearing Tactical Vest"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Falert-gunman-arrested-at-capitol-today-carrying-loaded-shotgun-wearing-tactical-vest%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2570853&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>An 18-year-old man was arrested near the U.S. Capitol after sprinting toward the building with a loaded shotgun, while wearing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/two-proud-boys-indicted-on-conspiracy-charges-for-alleged-role-in-u-s-capitol-riot\/\" title=\"Two Proud Boys Indicted On Conspiracy Charges For Alleged Role In U.S. ... Riot\">tactical vest<\/a> and gloves. Capitol Police challenged him, he dropped the weapon, and was taken into custody; authorities said he had run several <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/french-catholics-threatened-with-death-by-muslims-during-procession\/\" title=\"French Catholics Threatened with Death by Muslims During Procession\">hundred yards<\/a> toward the Capitol before being stopped. The suspect\u2019s vehicle,a Mercedes SUV parked near the Capitol,<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >contained additional shotgun rounds<\/a>,a Kevlar helmet,and a gas mask. He was identified as Carter Camacho of Smyrna, Georgia, and was not known to Capitol Police prior to the incident. The event occurred ahead of President Donald Trump\u2019s State of the Union address planned for Feb. 24, when security at the Capitol is typically heightened. Reuters,NBC,and The New York Post cited police accounts and updates,including statements that no one else was injured. Capitol Police indicated they would remain vigilant and prepared for the State of the Union night. The report also notes broader security concerns, including the high number of \u201cconcerning\u201d statements and behaviors investigated by Capitol police in 2025.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>An 18-year-old man was arrested Tuesday after Capitol Police interrupted his dash toward the U.S. Capitol.<\/p>\n<p>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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-sheldon-whitehouse-senior-staff-as-white-as-his-private-beach-club\/\" title=\"ANALYSIS: Sheldon Whitehouse Senior Staff as White as His Private Beach Club\">congressional staff members<\/a>, however, would have been at the Capitol when the incident took place.<\/p>\n<p>The man was wearing a tactical vest and gloves and carried a loaded shotgun, U.S. Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan said, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/politics-news\/armed-man-wearing-tactical-vest-arrested-us-capitol-police-say-rcna259411\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128680; US Capitol Police detained a person with what appears to be a gun near the West Front of the Capitol.<\/p>\n<p>Security caught it before it turned into another headline nobody can undo. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3FkoLZi3ZD\">pic.twitter.com\/3FkoLZi3ZD<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DerrickEvans4WV\/status\/2023814646562787652?\">February 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\")); 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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Sullivan said the suspect carried additional rounds for the shotgun, NBC reported.<\/p>\n<p>Police found a Kevlar helmet and a gas mask inside the suspect&rsquo;s vehicle, Sullivan said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128680; 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<\/p>\n<p>He was then challenged by officers, who ordered him to the ground, and he was taken into custody.<\/p>\n<p>Can&rsquo;t WAIT to&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/yBhs341BlN\">pic.twitter.com\/yBhs341BlN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nicksortor\/status\/2023851204061671929?\">February 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The suspect parked a Mercedes SUV near the Capitol just after noon, Sullivan said, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/legal\/government\/man-arrested-after-running-toward-us-capitol-with-loaded-shotgun-say-police-2026-02-17\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Reuters<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The man managed to run &ldquo;several hundred yards&rdquo; toward the Capitol, Sullivan said, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/us-capitol-police-man-arrested-loaded-shotgun-vest-11538161\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Newsweek<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;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,&rdquo; Sullivan said, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/02\/17\/us-news\/police-arrest-georgia-man-18-who-charged-us-capitol-building-wearing-tactical-vest-holding-loaded-shotgun\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New York Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128680; 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<\/p>\n<p>No other details are immediately available<\/p>\n<p>People are being asked to avoid the area. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/64oZgzJNuw\">pic.twitter.com\/64oZgzJNuw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nicksortor\/status\/2023814647556829342?\">February 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He was then taken into custody,&rdquo; Sullivan said.<\/p>\n<p>The man was identified as Carter Camacho of Smyrna, Georgia, according to news reports.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Who knows what could have happened if we hadn&rsquo;t had officers here standing guard, like they do every single day,&rdquo; Sullivan said, according to the New York Post.<\/p>\n<p>He said a few months ago, Capitol Police held an &ldquo;active shooter exercise&rdquo; at the &ldquo;same spot&rdquo; where Tuesday&rsquo;s incident took place.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#127482;&#127480;&#9889;&#65039;- 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.<\/p>\n<p>The vehicle used by the&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/VEbLyAuIkC\">pic.twitter.com\/VEbLyAuIkC<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Rerum Novarum \/\/ Intel, Breaking News, and Alerts (@officialrnintel) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/officialrnintel\/status\/2023878492778094821?\">February 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We take the State of the Union very, very seriously and this doesn&rsquo;t change our posture,&rdquo; Sullivan said, the New York Post reported. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll be prepared on State of the Union night.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Sullivan said the man was not known to Capitol Police.<\/p>\n<p>Capitol Police have investigated nearly 15,000 &ldquo;concerning statements, behaviors, and communications directed against members of Congress, their families, staff, and the Capitol complex&rdquo; in 2025, up about 58 percent from 2024, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/02\/17\/us\/politics\/gunman-arrested-capitol.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); 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( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An 18-year-old man was arrested Tuesday after Capitol Police stopped his attempt to rush the U.S. Capitol. He wore a tactical vest and gloves and carried a loaded shotgun; authorities also found extra rounds, a Kevlar helmet, and a gas mask in his vehicle. The man, identified in reports as Carter Camacho of Smyrna, Georgia, had parked a Mercedes near the Capitol and ran several hundred yards toward the building before officers ordered him to the ground and took him into custody. The incident comes as President Trump\u2019s State of the Union address is planned for Feb. 24, with security posture heightened because many staff members would normally be at the Capitol even if lawmakers are away this week. Capitol Police said the suspect was not previously known to them. Officials noted that the force has conducted active shooter drills at the same location in the past<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2570854,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/capitol-for-feb.-17-2026.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[5175,4172,10272,73985,73986],"class_list":["post-2570853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-arrest","tag-capitol","tag-gunman","tag-shotgun-2","tag-tactical-vest"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/capitol-for-feb.-17-2026.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2570853"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570853\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2570857,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570853\/revisions\/2570857"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2570854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2570853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2570853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2570853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}