Cobb man with loaded shotgun arrested near U.S. Capitol, federal police say

A Cobb County man was arrested Tuesday after he ran toward the U.S. Capitol with a loaded shotgun, federal officials said.

The suspect, identified as 18-year-old Carter Camacho of Smyrna, is facing charges of unlawful activities, carrying a rifle without a license, unregistered firearm and unregistered ammunition, U.S. Capitol Police said in a news release.

Officers surrounded the man and arrested him around noon on the lower west terrace of the U.S. Capitol in Washington. According to authorities, Camacho also had multiple rounds of ammunition and a tactical-style vest.

Federal officials said Camacho’s vehicle was located in front of the U.S. Botanic Garden on Maryland Avenue and that a gas mask and helmet were spotted inside. The garden is located on the Capitol grounds near a memorial for former President James Garfield.

The suspect was said to have been armed with a loaded shotgun during the Tuesday incident at the U.S. Capitol, federal officials said. (Courtesy of U.S. Capitol Police)

“Just last summer, we held an active threat exercise on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol — in the very location where today’s officers stopped the suspect,” Capitol police Chief Michael Sullivan said in a statement. “These now routine exercises are planned monthly and in different areas of the Capitol complex to keep our officers ready for potential threats just like this.”