Police also discovered a Kevlar helmet and a gas mask inside the suspect`s vehicle, which was parked near the building.

Officers arrested an armed man outside the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday.Heather Diehl / Getty Images

An 18-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday after he began rushing toward the U.S. Capitol with a loaded shotgun, police said.

Officers challenged the man, who was wearing a tactical vest and gloves, and ordered him to drop his weapon, which he complied with, U.S. Capitol Police Chief Michael Sullivan told reporters.

Sullivan said the man laid down the weapon and then lay down on the ground before being taken into custody by U.S. Capitol Police officers on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol.

Sullivan said that the suspect had additional rounds on himself. In addition to the tactical vest, the chief said the man had on tactical gloves. Police also discovered a Kevlar helmet and a gas mask inside the suspect`s vehicle, a white Mercedes SUV, which was parked near the building.

Sullivan, who did not name the suspect, said he was not known to police and not from the Washington, D.C., area. No additional details were provided, including any apparent motive. "The investigation is ongoing," he told reporters.

Lawmakers are back home in their districts this week for recess, but congressional staff remain working at the Capitol.

The incident comes a week before President Donald Trump is set to deliver his State of the Union address at the Capitol on Feb. 24.

Capitol Police have dealt with similar incidents in the past in which armed individuals are stopped outside the Capitol or as they have passed through security inside the building.

Members of Congress have also faced a myriad of threats in recent years as violence against elected officials has skyrocketed. A U.S. Capitol Police report released last month found that the number of threats related to Congress rose for a third consecutive year in 2025 and spiked to its highest level in years.