A California man has been identified as the suspect in the attempted shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday night.
The Associated Press identified 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen as the suspect. Ahead of a press conference at the White House after shots were fired at the Washington Hilton ballroom on Saturday night, President Donald Trump shared a photo of the suspect, along with a video of him charging through a security checkpoint.
Trump said that the suspect was “armed with multiple weapons,” and he also confirmed that an officer was shot during the incident, but that he was “saved by the fact that he was wearing a obviously very good bulletproof vest.”
“They drew those guns so fast, they looked like Matt Dillon,” the president said of the moment Secret Service agents apprehended the suspect who attempted to sprint past them. The president’s remark sparked some confusion online with some users on X wondering why Trump called out actor Matt Dillon as other users insisted he was referring to Gunsmoke character U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon, played by James Arness.
During a separate press briefing, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Shapiro confirmed the suspect is being charged with using a firearm and assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon and added there will likely be “many more charges” to come.
While the incident is currently under investigation, it is believed that the suspect acted alone.
The officer is being evaluated for injuries, as is the suspect, who was not struck in the shooting incident, according to Metropolitan Police Department interim police chief Jeffery W. Carroll. The MPD shared that Allen was reportedly a guest at the Washington Hilton.
Trump and Melania Trump were rushed off stage and evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner after shots were fired on Saturday night. The dinner was later canceled, with the WHCA and Trump vowing to reschedule the event within 30 days, though Trump noted that he “fought like hell to stay, but it was protocol.”
“The man has been captured,” Trump said of the suspect during his briefing with press. “They’re going to his apartment. I guess he lives in California, and he’s a sick person, a very sick person, and we don’t want things like this to happen.”
More to come.
