Cole Tomas Allen charged with three felonies

Federal prosecutors charged Cole Tomas Allen on Monday with attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump after the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on April 25. (justice.gov) The Justice Department said Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, also faces charges of transporting a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. (justice.gov) (cbsnews.com) According to an FBI affidavit, Allen reserved a room at the Washington Hilton on April 6 for April 24 through April 26, then traveled by train from the Los Angeles area to Chicago and on to Washington. (justice.gov) (cbsnews.com) Investigators said Trump had publicly announced on March 2 that he would attend the dinner, and the affidavit says Allen reached Washington on April 24 and checked into the same hotel hosting the event. (justice.gov) Prosecutors say Allen rushed a magnetometer near the ballroom carrying a long gun while Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Cabinet officials were at the hotel for the annual dinner. (cnbc.com) (cbsnews.com) A Secret Service officer was struck once in the chest but was protected by a ballistic vest, and authorities said Allen was subdued after officers fired multiple shots. Officials said Monday they were still determining whose round hit the officer. (cbsnews.com 1) (cbsnews.com 2) NBC News reported that Allen sent family members a note about 10 minutes before the attack saying he believed it was his duty to target Trump administration officials. (nbcnews.com) At his initial court appearance on April 27, Allen did not enter a plea and was ordered held in federal custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday at 11 a.m. in Washington. (cbsnews.com) The charges turned the Saturday night security breach at one of Washington’s highest-profile political gatherings into a federal attempted-assassination case. The next question is whether prosecutors seek an indictment that carries the same three counts or adds others. (justice.gov) (cbsnews.com)