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Armed Suspect Apprehended After Exchanging Shots at White House Correspondents' Dinner Security Checkpoint
An armed suspect charged a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, leading to gunfire and the evacuation of President Trump and other officials. The 31-year-old California man was apprehended without injury to attendees. Investigators believe he targeted administration members.
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Law enforcement apprehended 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen of Torrance, California, after he charged a security checkpoint outside the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on Saturday night, armed with a shotgun, handgun, and multiple knives.
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Investigators believe the armed man was targeting members of the administration. The suspect exchanged shots with an officer who was struck while wearing a bulletproof vest.
The incident occurred at the Washington Hilton, where the president, vice president, Cabinet officials, and journalists were gathered. Shots rang out outside the ballroom during the dinner. The president, first lady, and vice president were whisked off the dais by Secret Service and were not injured.
Other Cabinet officials in attendance, including the Defense Secretary, Secretary of State, and Health and Human Services Secretary, were hustled out of the room by security. One Secret Service agent was injured in the attack but was protected by a bulletproof vest, the president told reporters late Saturday.
Investigators believe the agent was shot by the suspect. The suspect was tackled to the ground by law enforcement officers and was not hit by gunfire, said the interim police chief for the city's metropolitan police department.
Police believe the suspect acted alone. The alleged shooter was a guest at the Washington Hilton, by train from Los Angeles to Chicago, and then Chicago to Washington.
With 2,300 guests at the event in the hotel's ballroom. Guests had to pass through magnetometers manned by the Secret Service and Transportation Security Administration to enter the ballroom.
