A Smyrna teen who charged the U.S. Capitol carrying a loaded shotgun in February pleaded guilty Monday, July 27, to two federal charges in Washington, D.C.

Carter Camacho, 18, of Smyrna, a city in Cobb County, admitted to illegal possession of a firearm on Capitol grounds and receipt or distribution of child pornography, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announced.

Camacho drove from his home in Georgia on February 16, stopped overnight at a South Carolina rest area, and arrived in Washington on February 17. Before leaving his white Mercedes SUV parked on Maryland Avenue Southwest, he changed into green camouflage pants, a camouflage blouse, and a tactical plate carrier vest he described to investigators as "scary attire."

Surveillance video captured him exiting the vehicle at approximately 12:07 p.m. and running toward the west side of the Capitol with a Mossberg Model 88 12-gauge shotgun. The weapon was loaded with seven rounds in the tube, one chambered, and the safety off. Another 17 rounds were attached to a carrier on the stock.

Camacho complied when Capitol Police officers ordered him to stop and get on the ground as he ascended the south steps. He never entered the building.

No one was injured.

He told officers he was "just there to talk to a member of Congress," according to a criminal complaint cited by WSB-TV. In a later interview, federal prosecutors said, Camacho stated he wanted to "scare them into speaking the truth." He also told investigators he considered using the shotgun to "breach" a door to enter the Capitol and that he brought pepper spray "just in case I don't want to shoot anyone," but left it in his vehicle.

A handwritten journal entry recovered from his vehicle revealed a more violent intent. The note read: "My ojbtive [sic] is to kill all APICA [sic] members and croupt [sic] people of the senet/state [sic] and to fre [sic] the U.S.A." Prosecutors said the "APICA" reference appeared to refer to AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Investigators also recovered a 10-inch fixed-blade knife along his path toward the Capitol, plus bear spray, a gas mask, a hatchet, a pocket chainsaw, and a book titled "Improvised Munitions Black Book" from his vehicle, according to the federal pretrial detention memorandum.

A search of Camacho's phone after his arrest turned up dozens of child pornography images and more than 100 videos, according to WSB-TV.

The federal detention memo noted Camacho had no prior criminal history but described "sustained planning, fixation, and preparation for violence" over months. Journal entries showed planning dating to August 2025, including saving money, practicing shooting, and purchasing tactical gear.

Camacho has remained jailed since his February 17 arrest. He is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday, December 8, by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington.

Neither Camacho's defense attorney, the Cobb County Police Department, nor the Cobb County Sheriff's Office has issued a public statement on the federal case.

Anyone with information about threats to public safety can contact the FBI's Atlanta Field Office at 770-216-3000.