President Donald Trump and hundreds of journalists, administration officials, and members of Congress were abruptly evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday night after a lone gunman armed with a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives charged a Secret Service checkpoint in the lobby of the Washington Hilton hotel and exchanged gunfire with law enforcement officers.
![](https://thenigerialawyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/TheNigerialawyer-WhatsApp-Channel1.jpg")
The suspect, identified as Cole Thomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, was tackled to the ground, handcuffed, and taken into custody. A Secret Service uniform division officer was struck in his bulletproof vest during the exchange of gunfire and was transported to a local hospital, where he was later released in “good spirits.” The president, the first lady, the vice president, and all Cabinet members were reported unharmed.
The incident occurred at approximately 8:36 p.m. at the same Washington Hilton hotel where President Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr. in March 1981, adding a chilling historical dimension to an evening that was meant to celebrate the relationship between the presidency and the press.
According to Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and interim Metropolitan Police Chief Jeffery Carroll, the suspect rushed a Secret Service checkpoint in the lobby of the Washington Hilton at approximately 8:36 p.m., armed with multiple weapons.
“He was armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives,” Carroll stated at a news conference following the incident. “As he ran into that checkpoint, members of law enforcement from the United States Secret Service intercepted that individual.”
Carroll confirmed that law enforcement exchanged gunfire with the suspect. “At this point, we do know that law enforcement exchanged gunfire with the individual,” he stated, adding that officials believe the suspect fired at officers.
The suspect was not struck by gunfire but was tackled to the ground and handcuffed by law enforcement officers. A photograph shared by Trump on Truth Social showed a shirtless man with his hands cuffed behind his back lying on the floor surrounded by law enforcement officers.
Despite not being shot, Allen was taken to a local hospital for evaluation for injuries sustained during his subdual.
Security video shared by Trump on Truth Social showed the suspect running through a hallway past several security personnel, followed by at least seven law enforcement officers drawing their weapons and charging after him.
A Secret Service uniform division officer was struck by gunfire during the confrontation. Carroll said the officer was hit in his bulletproof vest and transported to a hospital, where he was stabilised.
Trump spoke with the officer shortly after the incident. “I just spoke to the officer and he’s doing great. He’s in very great shape,” Trump stated at a White House news conference. “His ballistic vest likely protected him.”
“We told him we love him and respect him. And he’s a very proud guy and he’s very proud of what he does,” Trump said of the officer.
The officer was later released from hospital, a source confirmed.
The dinner was in its early stages when the incident occurred. Trump had not yet delivered his speech, which he later described as one he had prepared to be “rough.”
Trump said he initially mistook the sound of the gunshot for something routine. “I heard a noise and sort of thought it was a tray. I thought it was a tray going down. I’ve heard that many times, and it was a pretty loud noise, and it was from quite far away,” Trump recounted.
“Some people really understood that pretty quickly. Other people didn’t. I was watching to see what was happening, probably should have gotten down even faster,” the president stated. “Melania was very cognisant, I think, of what happened. She was saying, ‘That’s a bad noise.'”
NBC News journalist Tom Llamas, who was sitting next to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, described the scene as agents rushed into the ballroom.
“It was sort of a small platoon of Secret Service agents and law enforcement, all armed, rushing down the middle of the ballroom toward the dais where the president was,” Llamas reported. “At this point, we all sort of jumped under the table, including Rubio, but he was really concerned about his wife, who was across from him at our table.”
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum was told by Secret Service agents to get on the ground. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was among the first Cabinet members escorted to a secure room. Agents then went table to table to evacuate each Cabinet member.
Representative Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland, said Secret Service agents knocked him to the ground for his safety when shots rang out. Representative Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat from Florida, thanked House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who himself was shot and severely wounded at a congressional baseball practice in 2017, for pulling him into a secure room.
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for Washington D.C., said she was “taken out of the main ballroom after the sound of the shots fired.”
Cole Thomas Allen, 31, was identified as the suspect by a federal prosecutor and confirmed by a federal official familiar with the case. He is from Torrance, California, a city of approximately 147,000 people on the southwest coast of Los Angeles County, about 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles.
Authorities said Allen had no criminal record and was not known to law enforcement in Washington D.C. prior to the incident. He is believed to have been a guest at the Washington Hilton hotel, where police secured a room they believe was associated with him.
“Preliminary information, we do believe he was a guest here at the hotel. We have secured a room here in the hotel, and again, we’ll go through the appropriate procedures to determine what was inside there,” Carroll stated.
Officials believe Allen acted alone. “We have no reason to believe at this time that anyone else was involved,” Mayor Bowser stated.
The FBI and Secret Service were subsequently dispatched to a home believed to be associated with Allen in Torrance, where they prepared to serve a search warrant related to the incident.
Pirro announced that Allen will face at least two charges: using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer using a dangerous weapon. He will be arraigned in federal court on Monday.
“It is clear, based upon what we know so far, this individual was intent on doing as much harm and as much damage as he could,” Pirro stated.
She added that “there will be many more charges based upon the information that we are learning in this very fluid situation.”
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed that the investigation was ongoing and that he expected additional charges “shortly.”
“The charges should be self-evident, given the conduct, but there will be multiple charges around the shooting, around the possession of firearms, and anything else that we can get on this guy,” Blanche stated.
FBI Director Kash Patel said his agency had “rapidly deployed” to the scene and taken over the evidence response unit, examining “all the ballistics,” including “a long gun and the shell casings.” He called for anyone with information to submit tips to the FBI.
Trump left the Washington Hilton shortly after 8:45 p.m. and returned to the White House, where he held a news conference in the briefing room.
He described the incident as “very unexpected but incredibly acted upon by Secret Service and law enforcement” and praised the rapid response.
“I fought like hell to stay,” Trump said of his desire to continue the dinner. “We wanted to stay tonight.” However, he said law enforcement determined it was safest to cancel.
Trump described the evening before the incident as one of unusual unity. “I saw a room that was just totally unified,” he stated, describing the gathering of Republicans, Democrats, journalists, and administration officials.
“In light of this evening’s events, I ask that all Americans recommit with their hearts and resolving our differences peacefully. We have to resolve our differences,” Trump stated.
He vowed the dinner would be rescheduled within 30 days. “We’re not going to let anybody take over our society. We’re not going to cancel things out, because we can’t do that,” Trump declared.
On his planned speech, Trump said: “I was all set to really rip it. I’ll be very boring the next time, but we’re going to have a great event.”
The incident raised immediate questions about security protocols at major events attended by the president and senior government officials.
NBC News correspondent Ryan Nobles noted that while there were two separate entrances to the dinner, with credentials checked at each, “there were no magnetometers” at the entrance point where tickets were verified. Guests had to show tickets or hotel key cards but did not pass through metal detectors.
The Washington Hilton is a fully functioning hotel, meaning non-dinner guests, including hotel visitors, had access to portions of the building, including the lobby where the Secret Service checkpoint was located.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran said the response demonstrated that the agency’s “multi-layered protection works.” However, he had warned Congress earlier in April of a “significant uptick in threat cases” and the need for more resources.
“Just in the last 10 days, we’ve seen a significant uptick in threat cases. We’re going to need more resources to keep pace,” Curran had told a House Appropriations subcommittee.
The incident occurred at the same Washington Hilton hotel where President Reagan was shot in March 1981 as he left an event for the AFL-CIO. John Hinckley Jr. fired a .22 caliber revolver at the president and his Secret Service detail, wounding Reagan, his press secretary James Brady, Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy, and a police officer. Reagan was hospitalised for 12 days.
The historical parallel, while coincidental, underscores both the vulnerability of public events and the enduring security challenges associated with the Washington Hilton, which continues to host the annual White House Correspondents’ dinner and other major events attended by the president.
WHCA President Weijia Jiang addressed the ballroom in emotional remarks after the evacuation.
“The president will be having a press briefing at the White House in 30 minutes. That is not a joke, and he insists that we will reschedule this event in the next 30 days,” Jiang told attendees.
“I said earlier tonight that journalism is a public service, because when there is an emergency, we run to the crisis, not away from it. And on a night when we are thinking about the freedoms in the First Amendment, we must also think about how fragile they are,” she stated.
“Thank God everybody is safe. We will do this again,” Jiang concluded.
Allen will be arraigned in federal court on Monday on multiple charges. The FBI is conducting witness interviews and executing search warrants at his Torrance, California, residence. Additional charges are expected as the investigation progresses.
The White House Correspondents’ dinner will be rescheduled within 30 days, with Trump vowing to attend the rescheduled event.
The injured Secret Service officer has been released from hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.
The incident marks the first time a sitting president has been evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ dinner due to a security threat, and the first shooting at the Washington Hilton since Reagan was shot outside the same hotel 45 years ago.
Speaker Mike Johnson said he and his wife were “thankful no innocent people were harmed and everyone is now safe,” adding: “Praying for our country tonight.”
For an evening that was meant to celebrate the relationship between the presidency and the press, the shooting served as a stark reminder that the threats facing public life in America remain real, present, and capable of disrupting even the most carefully secured events.
The book, titled The Law of Torts in Nigeria: A Functional Approach, authored by Professor Hagler Sunny Okorie Ph.D and Ikeocha, Nathaniel Ngozi Esq, offers law students, practitioners, and academics a comprehensive guide to understanding and applying tort law in Nigerian courts. Interested buyers can place orders via the following contact numbers: 08028636615, 08037667945, 08032253813, or +234 902 196 2209.
______________________________________________________________________
[A MUST HAVE] Evidence Act Demystified With Recent And Contemporary Cases And Materials
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR LAWYERS: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE
Reimagine your practice with the power of AI “...this is the only Nigerian book I know of on the topic.” — Ohio Books Ltd
Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe, Esq., ACIArb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director, Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.
Bonus:
Get a FREE eBook titled “How to Use the AI in Legalpedia and Law Pavilion” with every purchase.
How to Order: 📞 Call, Text, or WhatsApp: 08034917063 | 07055285878 📧 Email: benadigwe1@gmail.com 🌐 Website: www.benadigwe.com
Ebook Version: Access directly online at: https://selar.com/prv626
________________________________________________________________________ “Enhance Legal Practice With Authoritative Reports” — Alexander Payne Offers Comprehensive Law Reports, Spanning Over A Century Of Nigerian Jurisprudence
Interested buyers are encouraged to place their orders and enquiries via:
0704 444 4777, 0704 444 4999, 0818 199 9888
Website: www.alexandernigeria.com
