Authorities in Washington, DC have detained an 18-year-old male named Carter Camacho while he was running towards the Capitol Building with a loaded shotgun and additional ammunition.
Chief Michael Sullivan reported that police instructed Camacho to drop his weapon at the West Front of the U.S. Capitol, which he did promptly, resulting in his arrest by Capitol Police officers.
Camacho was reportedly donning a tactical vest and had multiple rounds of ammunition on his person. In a white Mercedes SUV parked on the 100 block of Maryland Avenue, Southwest, a Kevlar helmet and gas mask were also located by the authorities.
According to Chief Sullivan, the suspect had covered several hundred yards while brandishing a shotgun styled for combat before officers intervened.
After being confronted by law enforcement, the suspect complied with orders to surrender his weapon, laid down on the ground, and was subsequently taken into custody, as confirmed by police.
Law enforcement has not yet disclosed a motive for Camacho's actions, which are currently under investigation, including whether he intended to target members of Congress, who were not in session at the time.
“Who knows what could have transpired if officers hadn’t been present?” Sullivan remarked during a news conference.
Investigators later located the suspect's Mercedes SUV parked near the US Botanic Garden on Maryland Avenue, where they recovered a gas mask and a Kevlar helmet from inside the vehicle.
Sullivan noted that Camacho was not known to law enforcement, stating that the SUV was not registered in his name and he had multiple addresses listed.
US Capitol Police announced that the suspect has been charged with unlawful activities, carrying a firearm without a license, possession of an unregistered weapon, and having unregistered ammunition.
This arrest occurred just one week prior to President Donald Trump’s planned State of the Union address to Congress.
Comments (0)
You must be logged in to comment.
Be the first to comment on this article!