United States Capitol Police arrested an 18-year-old man running toward the U.S. Capitol building armed with a loaded shotgun and wearing a tactical vest during the 59-minute reporting window ending at 8:45 PM UTC on February 17, 2026, according to a Breaking_4_News post. Police recovered a kevlar helmet and gas mask from the suspect’s vehicle. The arrest occurred in Washington, D.C., with no further details released on the suspect's identity, motive, or exact timing within the window, as stated by Capitol Police via the Breaking_4_News report shared at approximately 8:30 PM UTC. No injuries or shots fired were reported. A separate post during the window from @_fat_ugly_rat_ at 10:30 AM UTC noted strong early turnout in Travis and Ellis counties, rapidly approaching 50% of their 2024 Day 1 totals, providing an early indicator of voter engagement but unrelated to the Capitol incident.
