Cole Allen Charged Secret Service Checkpoint With Shotgun Near White House Correspondents’ Dinner

A shooting outside the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., Saturday night set off an emergency response that left President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and other dignitaries safe, according to the Secret Service and multiple reports.

“The alleged targets information was not specific, per law enforcement”

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The incident took place near the main magnetometer screening area at the event, and a Secret Service agent wearing an armored vest was struck in the chest, with President Trump saying the agent suffered non life-threatening injuries.

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The suspect was identified by law enforcement as Cole Allen of Torrance, California, and officials said he was in custody after being taken down.

ABC News reported that a Secret Service checkpoint was breached when the suspect allegedly charged it armed with a shotgun and other weapons before he was taken into custody.

The BBC described the suspect as due to appear in court, while CBS News said he was expected to be arraigned Monday on at least two charges.

The Washington Hilton incident also prompted immediate evacuations of top officials, with NBC News stating that President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other administration figures were evacuated from the room after shots were fired.

In the ballroom, witnesses described rapid gunfire and a sudden shift in the atmosphere, including mentalist Oz Pearlman’s account that his first thought was, "Oh no, are we about to die?"

Investigators and officials tied the attack to writings sent to family members shortly before the shooting, with multiple outlets describing anti-Trump grievances and a stated intent to target administration officials.

The Associated Press reported that the man accused of opening fire railed against Trump administration policies and referred to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” in writings sent to family members minutes before an attack, and it said investigators were treating the writings, along with social media posts and interviews, as evidence of his mindset and possible motives.

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AP said the writings made repeated references to President Donald Trump without naming him directly and alluded to grievances over U.S. strikes on boats accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean.

NBC News said the suspect’s brother notified police in Connecticut after the suspect sent family members his writings, and a senior administration official characterized the writing as displaying anti-Trump sentiment and described his targets as administration officials, not guests or hotel employees.

CBS News reported that investigators were reviewing writing found at the Washington Hilton and said the suspect wrote that he planned to target Trump administration officials.

CNN reported that the White House said the suspect “clearly stated” he wanted to target administration officials, and it described the suspect’s note as being combed through by investigators.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that it “does appear that he did in fact set out to target folks who work in the administration, likely including the president,” while ABC News said Blanche added that the information was preliminary because the investigation was ongoing.

Accounts from people present at the Washington Hilton described how quickly the situation escalated and how Secret Service agents moved to protect the president and other officials.

WTOP’s minute-by-minute timeline said the security checkpoint was breached at 8:34:29 PM when a person “barrels at full tilt through a Secret Service metal detector,” and it said rapid gunshots were heard at 8:34:33 PM.

It described that it took more than 20 seconds for the president to be whisked off stage, and it said Vice President Vance was grabbed and pulled out of his chair within four seconds.

WTOP also reported that guests took cover under tables and that some Cabinet members and members of Congress were crouched under tables as security rushed in.

NBC News included a separate account from Getty photojournalist Andrew Harnick, who said he heard “three or four loud bangs” and then saw “a sea of Secret Service agents” pouring into the room.

ABC News featured mentalist Oz Pearlman’s recollection to Jonathan Karl, describing being side-by-side with President Trump after Secret Service forced the president to get down.

Pearlman said, "Oh no, are we about to die?" and he added that he could not tell Trump’s condition because "his eyes weren't registering."

While officials described the suspect as being stopped before reaching the ballroom, some reporting emphasized perceived gaps in the outer layers of security and how the suspect could move through the Washington Hilton.

The Times of India said investigators believed the suspect was able to reach close to the event due to gaps in the outer layers of security, and it described that access had been restricted after the hotel was closed to the public from 2 pm ahead of the 8 pm dinner.

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It also said officials reported there were no metal detectors at the hotel’s entrances, with a secure perimeter only established closer to the ballroom where the event was being held.

Fox News described an attendee account from Daily Beast editor Hugh Dougherty, who said, “Nobody even looked at my luggage on Friday afternoon,” and he added that there were “No magnometers, no hand checks, no I.D. checks. Nothing.”

Fox News also quoted Dougherty saying he could move freely between the ground floor and his room on the 10th floor of the Washington Hilton without anyone stopping him, screening him, or verifying his credentials.

NBC News reported that the dinner was not designated a National Special Security Event, with Secret Service spokesperson Matt Fagiana saying in an email tonight to NBC News that the dinner had not been designated a National Special Security Event.

The Washington Post added detail about the suspect’s path, saying he sprinted past a U.S. Secret Service security checkpoint, raced through a magnetometer and reached the top of a staircase leading to the ballroom.

In the immediate aftermath, President Trump publicly described his own reaction during the shooting and said he was not worried as gunshots rang out, while also calling for renewed security and a rescheduled dinner.

ABC News reported that Trump told Norah O’Donnell he “wasn't worried” and said, "We live in a crazy world," adding that he wasn’t sure if he was the alleged attacker’s target but that “it sounds it to me.”

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CBS News and CNN both described Trump commending law enforcement’s quick reactions, with CBS quoting him saying the response was “almost like a blur” and that officers were “so professional, aimed their guns, and then they took him down immediately.”

CNN also reported Trump’s call for the dinner to be rescheduled within 30 days and to include more security, with Trump saying, “I hope we’re going to do it again,” and “We should do it within 30 days, and they’ll have even more security, and they’ll have bigger perimeter security.”

NBC News said Trump ordered a review of security procedures ahead of upcoming events and that White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles would convene a meeting early this week with senior administration officials, the Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to assess protocols for major presidential events.

On the legal timeline, multiple outlets said the suspect was expected to appear in court Monday, with CBS News stating he was expected to be arraigned Monday on at least two charges and WTOP describing the event’s unfolding.

The BBC reported that Buckingham Palace said King Charles III’s state visit would proceed as planned with minor adjustments, and it said the king was “greatly relieved” to hear the president and guests had been unharmed.