Gunman who opened fire on a security checkpoint at the venue of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night, was targeting top administration officials

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, told police he was going after “administration officials” at the press gala inside the Washington Hilton hotel in Washington, DC

Allen a mechanical engineer from Torrence, California, didn’t specify if he was targeting anyone in particular, or if he was trying to kill President Trump

Allen has been Allen has been charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault of a federal officer

He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday

Cole Tomas Allen opened fire outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner holding at Washington Hilton hotel on April 25, 2026. He was tackled to the ground inside the lobby by Secret Service agents and taken into custody

The gunman who charged a security checkpoint and opened fire on Saturday night outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner gunman was targeting Trump officials, according to a report.
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, a teacher from Torrance, California, was seen attempting to sprint past a security checkpoint in the lobby to access the venue, while armed with a shotgun, a handgun and several knives.
Allen exchanged fire with Secret Service agents before they tackled him to the ground and arrested him. One agent was struck in his bulletproof vest and is expected to recover. No one else was harmed.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said officials believe the suspect traveled by train from California to Chicago and then on to Washington.
Evidence found on Allen’s electronic devices point towards the theory he intended to target administration members in attendance at the dinner.

Suspected gunman Cole Tomas Allen, a teacher from Torrance, California, did not say if he was targeting the president or anyone in particular, according to anonymous sources

Allen, reportedly told police he was going after “administration officials” at the press gala inside the Washington Hilton hotel in Washington, DC, CBS News reported, .
He didn’t specify if he was targeting anyone in particular, or if he was trying to kill President Trump specifically, CBS News reported, citing sources.
Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew Quinn said the shooter was trying to carry out a “national tragedy” while all eyes were on the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
“[Allen] underestimated the protective capabilities of the U.S. Secret Service, and was stopped at first contact. The strength of our layered security posture was evident, with a myriad of countermeasures ahead,” he wrote in a statement.

Secret Service agents rush President Donald Trump off the dais as the shooting erupted inside the Washington Hilton hotel during the White House press dinner in Washington DC on April 25, 2026

The crazed gunman attempted to barge into the ballroom of approximately 2,500 people, which included the President Trump and the first lady, Vice President JD Vance, cabinet members and journalists.
Secret Service agents whisked away the president and first lady as other guests took cover underneath their tables.
Sources said Allen is a mechanical engineer from Torrance, California. He graduated from CalTech in 2017, and Cal State University in 2025. He is currently employed as a teacher.
The shooting erupted just after 8:30 p.m., about 20 minutes after Trump and first lady Melania Trump had just made their grand entrance onto the dais.
Allen according to official reports Allen attempted to sprint past a security checkpoint in the lobby armed with a shotgun, a handgun and multiple knives.

Secret Service agents were seen rushing Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., his wife Cheryl Hines along with other top government officials to safety

A Secret Service agent was shot in the vest during the gunfight, before the gunman was subdued and taken into custody.
The unidentified agent who took the it in the vest was rushed to a hospital.
Addressing a press conference at the White House later on Saturday night, Donald Trump said the shooter was a “sick” individual, adding that he didn’t believe the gunman’s attack was related to the ongoing US-Israeli war in Iran.
“It’s not going to deter me from winning the war in Iran. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it. I really don’t think so, based on what we know,” Trump told reporters.

Security footage captured the moment the armed man raced past law Secret Service agents in the hotel lobby during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25, 2026

Allen appeared to gain entry into the hotel by paying for a room and smuggled a cache of weapons inside, officials said.
One volunteer reports seeing the suspect assemble a long weapon “in [an] unsecured room” before making a mad dash towards the ballroom. 
Authorities seized a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives when they nabbed Allen.
The shooter was swiftly taken down in the lobby by the Secret Service and hauled off from the hotel in the back of an ambulance.

President Trump addressing a press conference at the White House later Saturday night said, “It’s not going to deter me from winning the war in Iran. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it. I really don’t think so, based on what we know,”

Officials have not revealed a possible motive behind the shooting, but Allen has been charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence and with assault of a federal officer, Jeanine Pirro, the US attorney for the District of Columbia, said.
The suspect is scheduled to be arraigned Monday.
President Trump said the aborted White House Correspondents’ Dinner will be rescheduled within the next 30 days.