A gunman breached a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday night, opening fire near the security screening area at the Washington Hilton before being taken into custody, authorities said. The suspect, identified as Cole Tomas Allen , 31, of California, was stopped near the magnetometer screening area outside the banquet hall. Officials said he was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives. Allen will face federal charges including assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon and using a firearm during a crime of violence, accordi
A gunman breached a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Saturday night, opening fire near the security screening area at the Washington Hilton before being taken into custody, authorities said.
The suspect, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of California, was stopped near the magnetometer screening area outside the banquet hall. Officials said he was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives.
Allen will face federal charges including assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon and using a firearm during a crime of violence, according to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. He is expected to be arraigned on Monday.
One law enforcement officer was struck during the incident but was protected by a bullet-resistant vest and is expected to recover. No other injuries have been reported
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, a California tutor and Caltech graduate, is taken into custody at the Washington Hilton on Saturday after allegedly opening fire during the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
The sound of gunfire sent attendees inside the venue diving for cover, with some taking shelter under tables as security agents moved to secure the area.
President Donald Trump, who was present in the ballroom, was rushed out of the ballroom by Secret Service agents. He later said he “fought like hell” to remain at the event but complied with security instructions.
Trump was not immediately evacuated from the building. He remained inside the hotel in a secure location while authorities assessed the situation before departing for the White House at approximately 9:45 p.m.
This year’s dinner marked the first time Trump attended the event as a sitting president.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed a motive. When asked whether he believed he was the intended target, Trump responded, “I guess,” adding that more details are expected to emerge.
Investigators are continuing to examine how the suspect was able to approach the event carrying multiple weapons, a gathering that former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe described as operating at “almost the level of a national security event.”
In 1981, John Hinckley Jr. shot President Ronald Reagan outside the Washington Hilton, the same hotel where Saturday’s incident unfolded.
Reagan waves shortly before he is shot. From left are advance man Rick Ahearn; Jerry Parr, in a white trench coat, who pushed Reagan into the limousine; White House press secretary James Brady, who was disabled by a gunshot to the head; Reagan; aide Michael Deaver; police Sergeant Herbert Granger; policeman Thomas Delahanty, who was shot in the neck; and Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy, who was shot in the chest. /Wikipedia
The shooting helped launch the modern gun control movement as Brady, who was left permanently disabled, and his wife, Sarah, founded what is now known as the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. Courtesy Reagan Library/via REUTERS
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