White House Dinner attacker stopped
- Federal prosecutors charged Cole Tomas Allen with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump after Saturday’s shooting outside the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington. - Authorities say Allen, 31, rushed a Secret Service checkpoint at 8:36 p.m. with a shotgun, handgun and knives; one officer’s vest stopped a bullet. - The attack unfolded at the Washington Hilton during Trump’s first WHCA dinner as president. (apnews.com)
Federal prosecutors say the man accused of opening fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was trying to assassinate President Donald Trump. (apnews.com) Authorities identified the suspect as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, and charged him Monday in federal court after the Saturday night attack at the Washington Hilton. (apnews.com) (nbcnews.com) Police said Allen rushed a Secret Service checkpoint at about 8:36 p.m. carrying a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives, then exchanged gunfire with officers before he was subdued. (time.com) (cbsnews.com) A Secret Service officer was struck in a bullet-resistant vest and is expected to recover. Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other officials were evacuated from the ballroom. (cbsnews.com) (apnews.com) CBS News reported nearly 2,600 guests were inside the 30,000-square-foot ballroom when the checkpoint was breached, with the screening area separated from the dinner by a staircase. (cbsnews.com) Investigators say Allen sent family members a note about 10 minutes before the attack and wrote that Trump administration officials were his targets, prioritized by rank. (nbcnews.com) (cbsnews.com) NBC News reported Allen’s brother contacted police in New London, Connecticut, after receiving the note, adding another warning signal before the shooting began in Washington. (nbcnews.com) Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said investigators believe Allen traveled by train from Los Angeles to Chicago and then to Washington, where he checked into the hotel shortly before the dinner. (nbcnews.com) The dinner is an annual gathering of journalists, White House officials and political guests, and Saturday marked Trump’s first time attending it as a sitting president. (apnews.com 1) (apnews.com 2) The case now moves from the security failure questions of Saturday night to the federal prosecution filed Monday, with Allen facing the most serious charge of attempted assassination of the president. (apnews.com)
