Cole Tomas Allen Stormed Washington Hilton Lobby, Exchanged Gunfire With Secret Service at Trump Dinner

A man armed with guns and knives stormed the lobby outside a high-profile journalists’ dinner attended by President Donald Trump and multiple senior U.S. leaders on Saturday night at the Washington Hilton, rushing toward the ballroom before Secret Service agents swarmed him and took him into custody.

“- Published "I can't imagine that there's any profession that is more dangerous," Donald Trump said of his job, just hours after he was at the centre of yet another major security incident”

BBC

The president was uninjured and was hustled away, while guests went diving under tables as the scene unfolded and some reported hearing shots outside the vast subterranean ballroom in the Washington Hilton where the event was being held.

BBC

The Associated Press reported that a law enforcement officer was shot in the bullet-resistant vest but is expected to be OK, and it identified the shooting suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, two law enforcement officials told the AP.

NBC News reported that Allen was armed with a shotgun, handgun and knives when he rushed a security checkpoint and ran toward the ballroom where the black-tie dinner was being held, and that he exchanged gunfire with law enforcement and was tackled to the ground.

BBC reported that police said security officials and the suspect exchanged fire on a level of the hotel one floor above where Trump and other guests had gathered.

CBS News said Allen was apprehended at the scene and that the president and first lady Melania Trump were from the dinner, and none of the attendees were seriously injured.

The Guardian described the shooting as prompting questions over security at the event, while PBS/Associated Press emphasized that “There does not appear to be any sort of danger to the public at this time,” as Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a separate news conference.

Multiple outlets described how Cole Tomas Allen got close to the area where Trump and other senior officials were gathered, with details centering on checkpoints and the hotel’s layout.

BBC said the suspect charged through security checkpoints and that CCTV posted on social media by Trump showed the suspect charge through one of these checkpoints, before Secret Service agents open fire.

CBS News

BBC also reported that tickets to the dinner only had table numbers written on them and not the actual names of guests, and that identification was not checked at any point for those entering the hotel.

CBS News said Allen was charging through metal detectors outside the ballroom where the dinner was taking place, and that he used an interior stairwell to bypass heavily monitored areas of the hotel and exited onto the same level as the foyer leading to the dinner's red carpet.

The Guardian reported that Allen mocked an “insane” lack of security in a manifesto reportedly sent to his family 10 minutes before his assault started, writing, “I walk in with multiple weapons and not a single person there considers the possibility that I could be a threat.”

Reuters-based reporting in the South China Morning Post said former Secret Service agents and senior U.S. officials told Reuters that federal agents appeared to carry out their plan effectively on Saturday night, stopping the alleged gunman before he reached the basement level of the Washington Hilton where Trump was set to speak.

CNN said the incident renewed questions about Secret Service protocols and whether there should be changes, while also quoting Jonathan Wackrow, a former Secret Service agent and CNN analyst, saying, “I don’t think it was a security failure.”

CNN also reported that video showed the alleged gunman rushing past a group of Secret Service officers who appeared to in a relaxed posture as the event was already underway one floor below, and that he managed to move quickly to a lobby one floor above where the president sat in the massive ballroom that can hold 2,600 people.

Investigators and multiple outlets described writings and travel details that authorities said helped explain Allen’s intent and path to the Washington Hilton.

“The suspected gunman who charged past a security checkpoint at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday has renewed questions about Secret Service protocols and whether there should be changes to the already tight cordon at the annual star-studded event”

CNN

NBC News reported that the California teacher and engineer accused of opening fire believed it was his duty to target Trump administration officials, according to a note he sent family members about 10 minutes before the Saturday attack, and it said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told “Meet the Press” that authorities believe “the suspect traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago, and then Chicago to Washington, D.C.”

NBC News also said Allen sent family members a note apologizing to his parents, colleagues, students, bystanders and others for what he was about to do, and it quoted Allen: “I don’t expect forgiveness,” and “Again, my sincere apologies.”

NBC News further reported that in the note Allen criticized Trump without mentioning him by name and wrote about lax security at the hotel, saying he had expected more, and it included his “expected rules of engagement” line: “Administration officials (not including Mr. Patel): they are targets, prioritized from highest-ranking to lowest.”

CBS News said Allen left behind what officials are calling in which he clearly stated he wanted to target officials in the Trump administration, and it said investigators are reviewing his writings as part of the ongoing investigation into his motive.

The Guardian described the manifesto as mocking an “insane” lack of security and quoted Allen writing, “this level of incompetence is insane, and I very sincerely hope it’s corrected by the time this country gets actually competent leadership again,” while also quoting him about walking in with multiple weapons.

CNN said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche hailed the response as “a massive security success story” and that investigators believe the California man intended to attack administration officials at the event based on his writings that investigators are reviewing.

PBS/Associated Press added that Trump described the suspect as a “sick person” and said “They seem to think he was a lone wolf,” while also noting that the FBI Director Kash Patel was examining a long gun and shell casings recovered from the scene and interviewing witnesses.

While some reporting emphasized vulnerabilities, other coverage stressed that officials believed the Secret Service response worked and that the suspect was stopped before reaching the ballroom where Trump sat.

CNN quoted Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche praising the response as “a massive security success story,” and it said White House officials told CNN that Allen’s family members alerted law enforcement about his possible plans to carry out an attack.

Fortune

The Guardian reported that Sean Curran, the Secret Service director, insisted late Saturday that security measures in place at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner had been successful in detaining the suspect before he could do further harm, and it quoted Curran saying, “It shows that our multi-layered protection works.”

The Guardian also quoted WHCA president Weijia Jiang saying, “We express our deepest gratitude to the US Secret Service and all law enforcement personnel who ensured the safety of everyone in the ballroom and beyond. Their actions protected thousands of guests, and we wish a full and speedy recovery to the officer who was injured in the line of duty,” and it quoted Trump saying in an interview with Fox News, “The shooter “never even came close to getting by the doors or getting through the doors,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News.”

NBC News said Trump called the suspected shooter a “whack job” and a “lone wolf,” and it reported that the president later posted a photo of a shirtless man on the floor with his hands cuffed behind his back with Secret Service officers standing around him.

BBC reported that experts in law enforcement and presidential security said the fact the gunman never made it into the ballroom itself suggested that the security arrangements worked, and it quoted former Secret Service agent Jeffrey James highlighting that the gunman was halted at a “outer perimeter checkpoint” and never reached the floor on which was sitting Trump.

At the same time, BBC and other outlets described scrutiny of screening and venue security, with BBC quoting Gary O'Donoghue saying security at the venue itself “wasn't particularly heavy” and that the man on the door outside only took a cursory look at his ticket.

CBS News said the FBI is conducting a criminal investigation and the Secret Service is investigating the suspect's background to shed light on what precipitated the shooting, and it said investigators have retrieved the suspect's cellphone and additional electronics and are now obtaining search warrants for them.

Coverage diverged on how to interpret what happened, with some outlets emphasizing that security worked by stopping Allen before he reached the ballroom, while others highlighted gaps in screening and the closeness of the breach.

“Shooter’s path to White House press gala prompts security questions - Click here to listen to this article - - Acting Atty”

Los Angeles Times

BBC framed the incident as raising questions about Trump security, describing how Gary O'Donoghue said security at the venue itself “wasn't particularly heavy” and that the man on the door outside only took a cursory look at his ticket from what must have been six feet away.

Los Angeles Times

The Guardian, while also noting scrutiny, included both praise and criticism, quoting Sean Curran saying “It shows that our multi-layered protection works,” and also quoting Mike Lawler saying, “This nutjob could have walked into any of the other events before the dinner and caused mass casualties.”

The South China Morning Post reported that two former Secret Service agents and three senior U.S. officials told Reuters that federal agents appeared to carry out their plan effectively on Saturday night, stopping the alleged gunman before he reached the basement level of the Washington Hilton where Trump was set to speak, while also saying that the fact some attendees could hear the shots underscored vulnerabilities.

CNN described the incident as renewing questions about Secret Service protocols and whether there should be changes, while also quoting Jonathan Wackrow saying, “I don’t think it was a security failure,” and a federal law enforcement official raising concerns about surveillance video images that appear to show agents relaxed and caught off guard.

MS NOW’s account, in contrast, described “worrisome vulnerabilities” and quoted former Secret Service agent Bill Gage saying, “It’s true the Secret Service protective model worked, but it only worked because of luck,” adding, “It was just luck he didn’t get into the room and have a chance to open fire.”

Fortune similarly described the security setup as essentially designed as a tight perimeter around the ballroom with the rest of the hotel largely open to the public, raising questions about how close a potential attacker could get, and it quoted Representative Michael McCaul saying, “I do think we’ll be analyzing that.”

Even within the same general theme of scrutiny, outlets differed on what they emphasized: BBC focused on ticketing and identification checks, while CNN emphasized video and magnetometer screening, and MS NOW emphasized checkpoint staffing, evacuation delays, and the hotel’s difficulty to secure.

The shooting’s immediate aftermath included evacuation, cancellation, and calls for reviews of security protocols for major presidential events.

PBS/Associated Press said after an initial attempt to resume, the event was scrapped for the night and will be rescheduled, with Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents' Association, saying, “We will do this again.”

It also reported that House Speaker Mike Johnson said he and his wife, Kelly, were “praying for our country tonight,” and that Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said “The violence and chaos in America must end.”

CBS News said the president was standing by the Secret Service in the wake of Saturday's attack, praising the agents for their response while ordering a review of security procedures, and it reported that White House chief of staff Susie Wiles will also hold a meeting this week with senior administration officials, the Secret Service and Department of Homeland Security to assess protocols for major presidential events.

CNN said there have already been discussions within the administration and the Secret Service about how to handle security for these events in the future, specifically about whether so many high-ranking administration officials should attend large events together.

The Guardian reported that concerned Republican lawmakers floated the creation of a House committee to investigate the shooting and security around the event, citing Politico, and it said the House oversight and homeland security committees, and the Senate judiciary committee, have requested briefings from the Secret Service.

Fortune reported that Representative Michael McCaul told Bloomberg This Weekend that “I think we have to. We have to take a look at the outer perimeter,” and it described Trump calling the Hilton “not a particularly secure building” and linking the incident to his White House ballroom project.

NBC News said the suspect is expected to be charged in federal court Monday, and it reported that acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said charges related to Saturday night's attack will be filed shortly.

In parallel, the FBI was examining evidence and interviewing witnesses, with PBS/Associated Press reporting that FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency is examining a long gun and shell casings recovered from the scene, as well as interviewing witnesses from the dinner.