Shortly after the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner began on Saturday around 8 p.m., a gunman was confronted and tackled by law enforcement officers near a security checkpoint of the Washington Hilton.
A security video posted online by President Trump showed the man running past a security checkpoint, with a swarm of law enforcement officials in pursuit. The man taken into custody was Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, Calif., according to multiple law enforcement officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose the information.
The authorities said the man, who did not make it into the large ballroom where Mr. Trump, top administration officials and hundreds of journalists had gathered for dinner, was carrying a shotgun, handgun and knives. The head of Washington’s police force said that investigators believed he fired at least once, and that officials were reviewing ballistics evidence and shell casings. It appeared that no guests were struck by gunfire.
The suspect was tackled to the ground and handcuffed, and was not shot in the incident, the police said. The gunman had been staying at the hotel as a guest, and after his arrest was taken to a local hospital for evaluation, said the interim chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, Jeffery Carroll.
“At this point it does appear he is a lone actor, a lone gunman,” Chief Carroll said.
The U.S. attorney in Washington, Jeanine Pirro, said that the gunman would be charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence, and with assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. She said additional charges would likely be filed later.
A Secret Service agent was shot in his protective vest and in good condition, Mr. Trump told reporters at a White House news conference later in the evening. The authorities were still working to establish exactly how that officer had been shot. In a statement, the Secret Service said the incident took place “near the main magnetometer screening area.”
One witness, the CNN news anchor Wolf Blitzer, said he was feet away from the confrontation, and that shots were fired before officers were able to subdue the man. Mr. Blitzer described how a police officer grabbed him, took him to the ground and shielded him with his body. “I just saw a big gun, and I heard the loud bangs going off,” Mr. Blitzer said.
Sam Nunberg, an aide to Mr. Trump when he announced his presidential campaign in 2015, was also nearby when the commotion broke out.
“I saw Wolf Blitzer, and then out of the corner of my eye I saw a guy running,” Mr. Nunberg said, describing the person as dressed in black, and, as best as he could tell, wearing a hood. At first, Mr. Nunberg thought the man was rushing at Mr. Blitzer. He turned again to see Mr. Blitzer on the ground, missing a shoe. Mr. Nunberg rushed into a bathroom for safety, and soon officials ferried Mr. Blitzer in as well.
Secret Service agents soon joined, counting the number of people sheltering there. The dinner guests were then told to leave the hotel, and left the bathroom in less than 15 minutes.
Chelsia Rose Marcius contributed reporting.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/25/us/politics/suspect-correspondents-dinner-details.html
